XtraTime Web Desk – Madras High Court, on Tuesday, has issued notices to Royal Challengers Bangalore Captain Virat Kohli and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly for endorsing online fantasy gaming apps that involve financial transactions.
The Madurai bench of Madras High Court, consisting of Justices N Kirubakaran and B Pugalendhi, issued the notices to even actors Prakash Raj, Tammana Bhatia, Rana Daggubati and Sudeep for their connection with the advertisements of these apps. According to a report filed by News18, the case was filed by advocate Mohammed Rizvi, who has alleged that at least 10 people have lost their money by indulging in these online gambling apps and committed suicides.
Even as fantasy sports operators continue to exploit an inadequate and obsolete law to win orders in their favour, the High court has expressed its concern that these apps use popular celebrities for the sake of promotion which leads common people to trust and use these potential ‘death traps’.
“The apps are in the name of IPL teams such as Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and some apps are also in the name of state’s names. Are these teams playing on behalf of the state,” questioned the bench.
The aforementioned celebrities are expected to respond to the notice latest by November 19.
Online fantasy sports platforms have seen a huge surge in traffic in recent months after the advent of the IPL. One of the pioneer fantasy platform, Dream11, was selected as the title sponsor for the IPL. It is endorsed by MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma and several other stars who feature in these ads.
Interestingly, MPL(Mobile Premier League) which is endorsed by Virat Kohli, was selected as the official kit sponsor of the Indian National Cricket Team recently.