The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into the operations of the online betting app 1xBet, summoning and questioning several celebrities and sportspersons in connection with a money laundering case. On Monday, former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa appeared before the agency's office in New Delhi and was questioned for over eight hours; his statement was recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
This action is part of a wider probe into illegal online betting platforms, with the ED scrutinizing financial transactions and promotional activities linked to 1xBet. The agency is trying to ascertain how the celebrities were contacted by the betting company, who the nodal persons for contact in India were, the mode of payment (whether cash through hawala or banking channels), and the place of payment (in India or abroad). The ED is also probing whether the endorsement fees could be classified as "proceeds of crime" under the PMLA, and whether the endorsers were aware that online betting and gaming is prohibited in India.
Besides Uthappa, the ED has also questioned former cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, former TMC MP and actor Mimi Chakraborty, and Bengali actor Ankush Hazra. Furthermore, former cricketer Yuvraj Singh and actor Sonu Sood have been summoned by the ED in the same case. Urvashi Rautela is yet to appear before the probe team.
The investigation into 1xBet is part of a broader crackdown on such platforms, amid allegations of duping numerous people of crores of rupees and evading a huge amount of direct and indirect taxes. The government has banned the 1xBet app in India. According to Curacao-registered 1xBet, the company is a globally recognised bookmaker with 18 years in the betting industry, with its website and app available in 70 languages.
The ED's intensified scrutiny comes against the backdrop of the Union government's recent ban on real-money online gaming. The domestic betting market was estimated to be worth over $100 billion and growing at 30% annually, underscoring both its scale and the risks of financial crimes. The government has issued 1,524 orders from 2022 till June 2025 to block online betting and gambling platforms. The ED has also decided to initiate "focused strategies" to investigate financial crimes arising from this sector linked to alleged illegal betting and gaming.
