ED summons Google, Meta officials in online betting case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned representatives of tech giants Google and Meta to appear before its Delhi office on July 21 in connection with an ongoing probe into alleged money laundering linked to online betting applications.

The ED is investigating the financial and operational links between online betting apps and suspected violations of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The latest crackdown comes amid an intensified effort by the anti-money laundering agency to closely track a sprawling network of online betting platforms. Many of these apps are allegedly falsely presented as skill-based gaming services but are involved in illegal gambling operations.

The ED suspects that these platforms have generated illicit proceeds running into crores of rupees, funnelling the money through intricate hawala routes to evade regulatory scrutiny.

“Hawala operators and fund handlers, identified with digital and financial records, are being examined,” ED sources said.

India