ED questions Yuvraj Singh, Urvashi Rautela in endorsements of betting apps

ED has reportedly said that these platforms often promote themselves as skill-based gaming platform but operate on luck-based outcomes

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is expanding its investigation into the illegal online betting platforms and is now shifting its focus to endorsements made by former film celebrities and cricketers, according to a report by NDTV Profit.

 

As part of the ongoing investigations into promotional links with banned betting platforms, including 1xBet, FairPlay, Parimatch, and Lotus365, the agency questioned former Indian cricketers like Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, and Yuvraj Singh, along with actors like Sonu Sood and Urvashi Rautela.

 

Citing an ED official, the report added, "These betting platforms are using surrogate names like 1xbat and 1xbat sporting lines in advertising campaigns. The ads often include QR codes that redirect users to betting sites, blatantly violating Indian law." While notices have been issued to some of the celebrities, others are yet to receive them, the official added.

 

The report said that these platforms often promote themselves as skill-based gaming platforms but operate on luck-based outcomes, by using rigged algorithms that categorise them as gambling operations according to Indian law.

 

The report suggests that initial findings show that these endorsements violate several Indian laws, including the Information Technology (IT) Act, the Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema), the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and the Benami Transactions Act. It further stated that such endorsements also violate the advisories that have been issued by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

 

This comes days after ED froze more than 760 'mule' bank accounts, along with a dozen credit and debit cards, news agency PTI reported. The agency also arrested two people as part of a money laundering investigation against a racket that conducted illegal betting in IPL and T20 cricket World Cup matches, apart from gambling. 

 

Earlier in March this year, actors from the Telugu industry, including Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Devarakonda, Manchu Lakshmi, and Nidhi Agarwal, were booked for allegedly promoting betting apps, according to a report by Telangana Today. 

 

Illegal gambling platforms' business

 

The illegal online betting market is currently estimated at $100 billion, growing annually at 30 per cent, according to ED estimates. The report states that between January 2025 and March 2025, these platforms received over 1.6 billion visits, and tax evasion from these platforms is likely to be at ₹27,000 crore per year.