ED raids online gaming platform 'Probo' in Rs 284 crore illegal betting case

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has cracked down on Probo Media Technologies Pvt. Ltd., the operator of the popular online gaming app and website "Probo", over alleged illegal gambling and money laundering activities.

Raids were carried out on July 8 and 9 at four locations in Gurugram and Jind, Haryana, targeting the company and its promoters, Sachin Subhaschandra Gupta and Ashish Garg, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The probe was launched following multiple FIRs filed in Gurugram, Palwal (Haryana), and Agra (Uttar Pradesh) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and the Public Gambling Act, 1867. Complainants alleged they were lured into a fraudulent money-making scheme based on answering simple "yes or no" questions — a model ED says amounts to betting.

According to investigators, the platform deceptively portrays itself as a skill-based "opinion trading" game, while its binary outcome format — limited to "yes" or "no" answers — aligns it squarely with gambling, where outcomes are governed purely by chance.

The ED also flagged several serious irregularities in the company’s operations: failure to enforce KYC norms, allowing minors to register, and running misleading advertisements to rope in new users. Notably, the app was also found to be promoting speculative betting around election outcomes.

In a major financial revelation, the company is reported to have received Rs 134.84 crore via preference shares from offshore entities based in Mauritius and the Cayman Islands. During the raids, the ED seized incriminating documents and digital data. Authorities also froze investments worth Rs 284.5 crore in fixed deposits and shares, along with three bank lockers.

The ED's actions underscore growing concerns around the misuse of digital gaming platforms as fronts for illegal betting. With the financial trail pointing to foreign funding and high-stakes transactions, officials confirmed that further investigation is underway to trace the full extent of the money laundering network.

--IANS

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