ED cracks down on Big Daddy Casino network; ₹2.25 cr, $14,000 and crypto worth ₹90 lakh seized
Investigators also uncovered that casino staff were promoting several unauthorized online gambling websites, including rolex777.co, iCasino247.com, play247s.com, Win Daddy, and Poker Daddy.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has carried out a sweeping crackdown on an alleged illegal casino and gambling racket linked to Big Daddy Casino, conducting searches across multiple cities including Goa, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Rajkot.
According to officials, the searches were conducted at premises associated with Golden Globe Hotels Pvt. Ltd., Worldwide Resorts and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., and Big Daddy Casino in Goa. The raids led to the seizure of ₹2.25 crore in cash, USD 14,000, and other foreign currencies worth around ₹8.5 lakh.
The ED further confiscated cryptocurrencies, including USDT valued at over ₹90 lakh, pointing to a sophisticated laundering and illegal forex exchange network operating under the guise of casino activities.
Preliminary findings suggest that the casino network was illegally exchanging poker chips for foreign currency and distributing winnings in foreign exchange, in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999. Investigators also uncovered that casino staff were promoting several unauthorized online gambling websites, including rolex777.co, iCasino247.com, play247s.com, Win Daddy, and Poker Daddy.
Officials said these online platforms acted as extensions of the illegal gambling operations, drawing users into betting activities outside the regulatory framework.
In a parallel operation, the ED’s Panaji Zonal Office conducted a targeted search on September 26, 2025 at “Loja Shamu,” a shop located in the Mapusa Municipal Market, Goa. The search was triggered by a tip-off from Airport Customs, Goa, which had earlier intercepted a passenger carrying foreign exchange worth USD 35,000.
From the shop, the ED seized foreign currency equivalent to ₹3 lakh, Indian currency worth ₹13 lakh, incriminating transaction records, and two mobile phones. A closer examination of the devices revealed telephonic chats and communications pointing to unauthorized foreign exchange dealings valued at an estimated ₹2–3 crore.
“The seized material provides strong evidence of systematic illegal forex trading in violation of FEMA provisions. Detailed analysis of the digital evidence is underway to track the wider network of individuals and entities involved,” an ED official said.
Investigators believe that the illegal forex and gambling operations were deeply intertwined, with hawala channels and digital currencies being used to conceal money trails. The agency is now examining links between the seized data and offshore gambling operations.
With the casino industry in Goa often facing scrutiny over regulatory compliance, the raids mark one of the most significant crackdowns in recent times, raising questions about the role of licensed operators and their alleged connections to shadow networks of online gambling and illicit forex trade.
