Mahadev: For unlawfully airing IPL games and taking bets, the Enforcement Directorate has filed a money-laundering action against eight betting apps.
Eight betting apps have been the subject of a money-laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate, including the Fairplay app, which Bollywood celebrities recently endorsed. Based on a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the company Viacom18, which named the Fairplay app and other similar apps that had unlawfully streamed IPL tournaments on their streaming websites, the ED case was opened.
According to the FIR, applications like Fairplay were using unlawful software to broadcast live coverage of the 2023 Indian Premier League event on various websites and platforms while also taking bets on ongoing matches. Viacom18 held the broadcasting rights for the tournament. Moreover, it claimed that the performers and actors who were being investigated had advertised on these applications, urging users to watch the Indian Premier League. Fairplay claimed to have advertised not only on social media but also on billboards, metros, and trains around the city. In the Mahadev app case, Bollywood celebrities were crucial to the app’s advertising, according to an Enforcement Directorate probe that was conducted earlier.
After Mahadev, eight betting apps face money laundering charges related to 2023 IPL matches.
The investigations also turned up connections between the app promoters and Mushtaqeen, the brother of underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim. The investigation showed how some politicians even deceived innocent individuals into placing bets on the platform, thereby making thousands of crores of unlawful money. Badshah, whose witness statement was recorded by the Maharashtra cyber police last year in October, and numerous other celebrities were accused of advertising the betting app and asking fans to log in on the app to watch cricket matches. The prosecution also included charges of digital piracy and infringement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). According to reports, the Fairplay app is linked to the Mahadev Open Book (MOB) platform. Previously, the case was filed on April 20, 2023, based on a complaint filed by Vinitchandra Sharma, vice-president of the Viacom 18 group’s legal department.
Many celebrities had backed and promoted the betting app, Fairplay, according to the complaint, who claimed that the matches were illegally streamed on the platform. VOOT, an OTT platform, and a number of television stations are owned by Viacom18. Sharma reported to the cyber police that Viacom 18 had suffered a loss of over Rs 100 crore as a result of the accused web apps showing its content without obtaining the necessary legal permissions. The anti-piracy team at Viacom 18 discovered in October 2021 that seven apps—Pikashow, Foxi, Vedu, Smart Player Lite, Film Plus, Tea TV, and Wow TV—were reportedly displaying serials, reality shows, and other content that was being played on Viacom 18 platforms unlawfully.
Later, the company’s anti-piracy staff discovered that the Fairplay app had also unlawfully streamed live Tata IPL matches from March 31, 2023, to April 7, 2023.
Ratnavali