Kerala HC issues notice to Virat Kohli, Tamannaah Bhatia over advertisements of online betting games

The Kerala High Court Wednesday served notices to cricketer Virat Kohli and actors Tamannaah Bhatia and Aju Varghese in connection with a petition demanding a ban on online rummy games. The three celebrities have endorsed platforms where online rummy games are played.

The High Court underlined that online betting was a grave social evil and asked the state government to clarify its stand on the matter.

The petition, filed by Kochi-based Pauly Vadakkan, argued that online rummy games are against the law and



difficult to control. It claimed that certain platforms running such games are using celebrities to endorse them in a bid to attract the youth and trap them financially.

The court has sent notices to Play Games 24*7 and Mobile Premier League which purportedly run rummy games. While Kohli is the brand ambassador of Mobile Premier League, Tamannaah has acted in an advertisement. Malayalam actor Aju Varghese has endorsed rummy circle.

The court observed that such online betting practices were a grave social danger.