Bollywood sensation Tamannaah Bhatia has stoked controversy by endorsing a banned gambling website through her social media account. Tamannaah took to her official Instagram handle on Wednesday and shared an advertisement video in collaboration with the banned gambling platform 'Lotus365.' However, she later deleted her post and her team clarified that it was a mistake.
"Tamannah and her team was not aware about the brand history of the particular brand she promoted," the actor's team clarified after the promotional post was taken off her Instagram account.
Nearly 174 Betting Apps Banned
The Central government intensified its crackdown on digital platforms earlier in 2023, blocking a total of 581 apps to date. Among these, 174 are related to betting and gambling, while 87 pertain to loan lending. The recent move follows the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issuing a blocking order against 22 'illegal' betting apps and websites, including Mahadev Apps.
Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State for Finance, revealed that the blocking action, executed under section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, encompassed various applications. In addition to betting and gambling apps, the list includes 87 loan lending applications and others like gaming apps, such as PUBG and GArena Free Fire.
Lotus365 Among Banned Gambling Sites
The banned apps also feature prominent names like Parimatch, Fairplay, 1XBET, Lotus365, Dafabet, and Betwaysatta. Some were already on the prohibited list, while others were operating unlawfully within India.
The crackdown on illegal betting and gambling apps gained momentum following an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into an alleged money laundering syndicate.
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