Another scandal in gambling. A famous Bollywood actor was detained for advertising a betting app.
This time, a high-profile money laundering case happened in Mumbai. The Indian authorities spend a lot of money to fight the total popularity of iGaming in the country. And it is not surprising – every arbitrage expert knows that this is one of the most profitable Tier-3 GEOs for this vertical.
A few months ago, the police took on 47-year-old Bollywood star Sahil Khan. He is accused of popularizing and promoting Lion Book, a sub-brand of the country’s largest shadow iGaming operator MahadevBook.
Help: Who is Sahil Khan?
The Bollywood actor gained popularity after starring in the Indian films Style and Excuse Me. Khan is also known for the Stereo Nation music video Nachange Sari Raat.
But arresting the actor was not so easy. It was like the best Bollywood action movies – Sahil was hiding in different states, including Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and constantly changing his location. He traveled nearly 1,800 kilometers across four states in four days to evade arrest.
At the time of his arrest, the actor was accused of fraud, which includes illegal online sports betting and card games with transactions. The total amount involved was 15,000 rupees. Several people, including former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, have been named as suspects. Also, 31 other people, including several Bollywood celebrities, are currently under the control of a special investigation team of the Mumbai police, which is probing alleged illegal transactions between the program’s promoters and some financial and real estate companies.
This is not the first time that the Mahadev betting app has attracted police attention – last year, actors Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, who appeared in the app’s ads, were summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate.
By the way, the operators of this casino have been in a Dubai prison since December 2023 and are now waiting for extradition to India. Moreover, they were taken with the assistance of Interpol CIB (Central Investigation Bureau), the Indian analog of the FBI.
According to the order of the Bombay High Court, Khan appeared for questioning by the police, but refused to cooperate. Investigators hope that he will be more forthcoming during interrogation in custody. The actor has not yet been formally charged, but given the circumstances, he will not get off with a fine or suspended sentence.
And we are following the development of the case and will tell you all the news. Share in the comments whether you are interested in reading about scandals and gossip in the world of arbitration?
