India’s financial crime agency is cracking down on online betting, and it’s pulling in two of the biggest names in tech: Google and Meta. The agency has summoned executives from both companies to its headquarters on Monday as part of an investigation into money laundering linked to illegal betting apps.
Investigators want to determine if Google and Meta assisted these betting apps in reaching a wider audience by running their advertisements on their platforms. According to government sources, the agency will investigate the funds the tech giants received from these apps and whether they facilitated other illicit activities. This comes even after the Indian government issued a strong advisory back in 2022, warning against the promotion of any form of betting.
The government’s 2022 advisory stated that betting and gambling pose “significant financial and socio-economic risks” to people, especially young adults and children. It strongly advises all media platforms, including digital ones, to stop running ads for these services in the public interest.
The executives are scheduled to appear at the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi on July 21st. So far, neither Google nor Meta has commented on the summons. The investigation puts the tech giants in a difficult position, as they face scrutiny for allegedly profiting from activities that the government has actively tried to discourage due to the harm they can cause.
