India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) has reportedly summoned executives from Google and Meta to appear on July 21, 2025, as part of an ongoing investigation into online betting platforms and alleged money laundering. The agency is examining whether the two tech giants allowed illegal betting apps to advertise on their platforms and received payments that may have originated from unlawful activities, reports Reuters.
The case is being investigated under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as several of these betting platforms (operating under names like VMoney, VM Trading, Standard Trades Ltd, iBull Capital Ltd, LotusBook, 11Starss, and GameBetLeague) are accused of laundering large sums of money by routing payments through unregulated channels. The investigative agency also believes that companies running these apps used Google and Meta to reach a wide audience in the country, despite existing government advisories against promoting gambling-related content.
Notably, a 2022 advisory from the Indian government had clearly instructed online platforms to refrain from showing advertisements related to betting and gambling. However, it is suspected that both tech giants continued to display such ads and accepted payments for them (knowingly or otherwise). Therefore, the agency is particularly focused on whether Google and Meta failed to comply with Indian laws. If found to have received revenue generated from illegal activities, the tech companies could face further scrutiny, penalties, or regulatory action. Investigators are also reviewing internal documents and ad tracking data to determine whether the platforms ignored warnings or failed to implement sufficient controls on the nature of ads being displayed.
This development follows a series of high-profile raids by the ED in Mumbai (financial capital of India) earlier this month, which exposed a network of illegal trading and betting operations. During these raids, authorities seized around ₹3.3 crore in cash, along with foreign currency, and other things. So far, Google and Meta have not issued any public statements regarding the summons. But both companies have in the past maintained that they comply with local regulations and are willing to cooperate with government agencies.
This is not the first time these tech behemoths have faced regulatory scrutiny in India. Google is already under investigation for alleged anti-competitive practices related to its Play Store policies, particularly affecting real-money gaming (RMG) apps, following a complaint lodged by domestic gaming company Winzo. The probe centers on claims that the company leveraged its dominant market position to unfairly restrict RMG operators. Meanwhile, last year, Meta was fined ₹213 crore (~ $25 million) by India’s Competition Commission for abusing its dominant position by forcing WhatsApp users to share data with other Meta platforms under its controversial 2021 privacy policy.
