Published: Sep 04, 2025, 12:10 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 04, 2025, 12:10 PM (IST)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has called upon cricketer Shikhar Dhawan for questioning in a money laundering case related to an illegal betting app.
Officials say the investigation centers around 1xBet, an online betting site Dhawan is believed to have promoted on social media.
The ED has now requested Dhawan to assist with the probe to clarify his roles in promoting the platform.
According to the news agency PTI, the 39-year-old former cricketer is linked to the app through various endorsements. The agency is investigating several similar cases involving illegal betting apps, which are said to have defrauded users and investors of crores of rupees or evaded substantial taxes.
Several Bollywood and South Indian actors, as well as cricketers have been in the news for allegedly endorsing illegal betting applications. Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Harbhajan Singh, Urvashi Rautela, and Suresh Raina are among those on the list.
The ED had questioned former cricketer Suresh Raina last month about the issue. In June of last year, several celebrities, including Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh, gave their testimony to the agency.
Recently, the government passed a law that makes it illegal to participate in real-money online gambling.
On Wednesday night, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced that online betting websites, allegedly operated by Karnataka Congress MLA KC Veerendra, had generated over Rs 2,000 crore in a short period.
The ED reported that Veerendra, the primary suspect in a fraud case involving illegal online betting, and his associates based in Dubai were managing several gambling websites.
They employed various payment gateways and fintech services to mask their unlawful activities, making them appear to be legitimate e-commerce operations.
The ED arrested Veerendra, a 50-year-old MLA from Chitradurga, late last month in Sikkim while he was on a business trip to lease a casino. The Enforcement Directorate is currently detaining him.
