Popular actress and model Neha Sharma has joined the celebrity bandwagon to promote illegal betting website Lotus365. In one of her recent Instagram posts the actress can be seen promoting the illegal gambling platform with lofty promises to her fans.

Sharma claims that people can win prizes on the platform every day and fulfill their dreams. She goes on to add that there are zero hidden costs, and zero taxes on the winnings. The caption, interestingly, includes the word “bet”. Incidentally, the comments are turned off for the post to stop any kind of potential criticism.

Lotus365 is one of the notorious illegal betting websites that was banned by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) earlier this year. The company relied heavily on promoting its services through surrogate websites in the past but has now shifted focus to celebrity adverts. A study by Director Professor of IIM Rohtak, Dheeraj Sharma, concluded that young persons are more likely to try gambling if a celebrity endorsed it.

Meanwhile, other popular celebrities like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Urvashi Rautela and Suniel Shetty have also promoted the illegal betting website in the past with Shetty going as far as to call it  “the messiah of all gaming apps”.

Siddiqui and Rautela were issued notices by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) seeking explanations regarding their claims to call Lotus365 “India’s most trusted sports exchange since 2015” without any proof or due diligence.

Games of chance like betting and gambling are strictly prohibited in India with the exception of horse racing and lottery. Any celebrity found promoting these prohibited activities would be liable for a fine ranging from Rs 10-50 lakh and barred from appearing in adverts for a year under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) 2019.

People unsure of which platforms are illegal can check the list here.