Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday in connection with an alleged money laundering case tied to the illegal online betting app 1xBet. The 38-year-old appeared at the ED’s central Delhi office around 11 a.m., where his statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), according to official sources.
The ED’s investigation focuses on Raina’s purported endorsements of 1xBet, a sports betting platform accused of illicit operations. Authorities are examining the nature of his association, including any endorsement fees received and the communication channels between Raina and the app’s operators. The probe is part of a broader crackdown on illegal betting apps, with the agency recently conducting multi-state searches related to another platform, Parimatch, and questioning representatives from Google and Meta for their roles in hosting or promoting such apps.
India’s online betting market, valued at over USD 100 billion and growing at 30% annually, has approximately 22 crore users, half of whom are regular bettors, according to market estimates. These platforms are alleged to have defrauded investors of crores and evaded significant tax liabilities, costing the government ₹27,000 crore annually in unpaid taxes. The ED’s investigations highlight violations of multiple laws, including the Information Technology Act, the Foreign Exchange Management Act, and the PMLA.
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The government has intensified efforts to curb illegal betting, issuing 1,524 blocking orders for unregistered online gaming platforms between 2022 and June 2025, as stated by Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada in a recent Lok Sabha reply. Under the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, the Directorate General of GST Intelligence is authorized to block non-compliant platforms, including offshore operators. Prasada noted that betting and gambling fall under state jurisdiction, with the central government supporting states through advisories and financial aid for law enforcement capacity building.
Raina’s involvement has drawn significant attention, with the ED probing whether he and other celebrities, including cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, were aware of the illegal nature of the platforms they endorsed. The investigation underscores the challenges of regulating a rapidly evolving digital betting landscape, where platforms often rebrand or relocate to jurisdictions with lax laws to evade scrutiny. As the probe continues, Raina’s case highlights the intersection of celebrity endorsements and the murky world of illegal online betting, raising questions about accountability in India’s booming digital economy.
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