Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina is set to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on August 13 for questioning in connection with a money laundering case linked to an illegal betting app. The investigation revolves around the promotion of the online betting app 1xBet, for which Raina served as a brand ambassador. The ED is expected to record Raina's statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED's investigation into 1xBet is part of a broader probe into illegal betting apps that have allegedly defrauded numerous people and investors of significant amounts of money, as well as evaded large sums in taxes. The agency is scrutinizing multiple such cases. Earlier on August 12, ED officials conducted raids at 15 locations across Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Madurai, and Surat to gather more information about the racket behind another betting app called 'Parimatch'.
The ED initiated its probe under PMLA based on a case registered by the Cyber Police Station in Mumbai in 2024. Investigations revealed that funds were collected from defrauded users through mule accounts, then layered through payment aggregators and money transfer agents, totaling over ₹2,000 crore. These funds were allegedly laundered through crypto wallets, small cash withdrawals via ATMs in Tamil Nadu, and low-value UPI transfers.
The ED has also summoned officials from Google and Meta to assist in the investigation of betting apps that utilize various platforms for surrogate advertisements. The agency is in contact with various stakeholders, including media houses, who may have received payments for advertisements from these platforms.
According to officials, many betting platforms that have been banned over the years have continued operations by changing their names and are promoted by celebrities and social media influencers. It is estimated that around 220 million Indian users are currently engaged on various betting apps, with 110 million being regular users. In the first three months of 2025 alone, over 1.6 billion visits were recorded on illegal betting websites or apps.
