Mumbai : The ED (Enforcement Directorate) on Monday issued fresh summons to tech giants Google and Meta in connection with the promotion of illegal online betting and gambling apps, directing them to appear on July 28.
The representatives of the two companies sought deferment of the July 21 summons, saying they need time to collect relevant information and documents before they present themselves for questioning and recording of their statements at the federal probe agency. The ED is investigating allegations that several betting apps – already under scrutiny – were promoted through digital advertisements on platforms operated by Google and Meta.
The agency suspects that the tech firms may have inadvertently played a role in enabling these apps by allowing them to run promotional content and by not adequately vetting advertisers. However, citing the need for more time to compile necessary materials, they failed to appear on the designated date. The ED has now made it mandatory for them to present themselves with all relevant documents by July 28.
The probe is being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and spans across multiple stakeholders, including app developers, media outlets, hawala operators, and celebrity endorsers. This is part of a broader crackdown by the ED, which began after evidence emerged of foreign-linked betting operations using Indian platforms for illegal transactions.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had earlier issued advisories warning digital platforms against airing betting-related ads, but violations reportedly continued, prompting further scrutiny. So far, neither Google nor Meta has publicly commented on the summons or the investigation.
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