Meta and Google to Respond to Illegal Gambling Money Laundering Inquiry in India
India's Enforcement Directorate (ED) has called upon executives from Meta and Google as part of a money laundering probe tied to unauthorized online gambling operations. These summons are related to a wider investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), focusing on promotional activities of unlicensed betting sites that have used digital advertising channels, including social media platforms and app stores.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The summoned officials are expected to appear before the ED on July 21. The agency aims to gather details about how their platforms might have facilitated exposure for unlawful betting portals by allowing ad placements and shared links.
Related: Tech Giants Facing Sweepstake Casino LawsuitThe investigation is particularly centered on the mechanisms through which these gambling platforms managed to secure promotional visibility on widely used services like Google Ads and Meta's Facebook and Instagram properties.
Authorities are evaluating whether the advertising frameworks of these tech giants have been manipulated by illicit operators to broaden their outreach in India. This includes reviewing ad approval workflows, content filtering practices, and the extent of compliance checks. At this stage, neither Meta nor Google has issued a formal comment on the matter.
Those familiar with the investigation suggest the betting platforms in question deployed deceptive strategies to engage users and conceal illegal earnings. Their methods allegedly involve rerouting users through proxy domains, employing encrypted messaging, and leveraging endorsements from influencers. The ED believes these activities have resulted in significant financial losses for Indian citizens while also facilitating tax evasion.
Besides summoning digital platform executives, the agency is preparing to question several high-profile individuals, such as entertainers, athletes, and digital influencers, who are suspected of promoting or associating with these unauthorized gambling services. Additional summons are expected to be issued shortly.
This case has reignited debates around the role and accountability of online platforms in monitoring and managing promotional content. Investigators are particularly scrutinizing how illegal betting ads were able to bypass regulatory filters and appear in front of users via sponsored content or mobile applications.
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Meta Faces Backlash Following Translation Faux Pas
In an unrelated issue, Meta has come under fire following a translation mistake on its platforms involving Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. A post written in Kannada to express condolences over the passing of actress B Saroja Devi was inaccurately translated into English, mistakenly stating that the Chief Minister had died.
Meta attributed the incident to a glitch in its translation engine and said the error had been corrected. However, the blunder sparked sharp criticism from Siddaramaiah, who stated the translation was misleading and posed a risk to the accuracy of official public communication.
Reacting to the mishap, Siddaramaiah's media advisor, KV Prabhakar, issued a letter to Meta demanding that the Kannada translation tool be disabled temporarily until it could be made more reliable.
The letter also urged Meta to consult experts fluent in Kannada to improve the system's accuracy, highlighting the broader challenge of ensuring linguistic precision in automated translations for regional languages.
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