Prakash Raj opens up on facing backlash over the engulfing betting app scandal

The complaint claims that these celebrities are taking big payments to endorse different betting sites that entice people to risk their hard-earned cash.

Showbiz

By Sneha Sengupta On Mar 20, 2025

A FIR has been filed by the Telangana police against 25 influencers and celebrities for allegedly using their social media platforms to promote gambling applications and unlawful betting. Actor Prakash Raj has finally addressed the matter, stating that he declined to extend his contract even though he had accepted the advertisement nine years before.

He wrote on X, “I ask questions to everybody so I need to answer too. So this is my answer. I have not received any summons or anything from the police station. But whenever I do, I will definitely reply to it. It is my responsibility to reply. In June 2016, Junglee Rummy people had approached me for a gaming app ad and I did do it. But, within a few months, I thought it was not right and I couldn’t do anything because I had signed a year’s contract with them.”

My response 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 #SayNoToBettingAps #justasking pic.twitter.com/TErKkUb6ls

— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) March 20, 2025

He added, “They wanted to renew it. I said, ‘No. My conscious doesn’t accept. I don’t want to continue. This happened around 9 years back. Since then, I have not done any ads which promote online gambling. In 2021, I think it the company must have sold this app to someone else, who used a couple of snippets of me on social media. We did send them a notice and an email. I said, ‘Look, I am not a part of it. I have said no. I told them they couldn’t illegally use my snippets as the contract has been expired.’ They stopped after that. This is my reply to all that I have taken a conscious decision not to promote betting apps. I say to all youngsters, don’t be victim to such gambling because it ruins lives. Say no to betting apps.”

He asserted, “I thought it is my responsibility to answer and I am sure you will excuse my one mistake that I did 8 years back. Thank you.”

Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda, Lakshmi Manchu, Praneetha, Nidhi Agarwal, Ananya Nagella, Siri Hanumanthu, Sreemukhi, and Varshini Sounderajan are a few of the celebrities listed on this list.

Prakash Raj