Online betting platforms’ surrogate ads under ED lens

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in its probe into multiple online betting platforms, has flagged a new trend of surrogate advertising being used to promote these applications despite regulatory restrictions.

- Ashish Singh

According to investigators, offshore betting app Parimatch, and others have been roping in social media influencers, cricketers and Bollywood actors to create brand visibility through indirect promotions. Officials said the modus operandi involves celebrity endorsements, influencer marketing, domestic 'mule' banking conduits, payment aggregator and domestic money transfer (DMT) channels, and cryptocurrency conversions, all aimed at keeping Indian users engaged and revenue flowing into the illegal betting ecosystem.

In August, Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which includes an anti-betting provision to ban online money games due to their links to addiction, financial ruin and social distress.

The same month, ED froze Rs110 crore parked in mule accounts and seized 1,200 mule credit cards during raids at 17 locations. The agency also found that Parimatch had floated Indian entities under the names Parimatch Sports and Parimatch News to run surrogate advertisements.