New Delhi, June 17: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) during investigation into illegal online betting platform has questioned former Indian Cricketers Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina and Urvashi Rautela.
The ED said these platforms presented themselves as hosting skill-based games but used rigged algorithms that classify them as ‘gambling operations’ under existing Indian laws.
These and other celebrities had been questioned as part of an ongoing investigation into the promotion of banned platforms like 1xBet. These platforms, they said, were using ‘surrogate names’, such as 1xbat, in ad campaigns that include web links (for online material) and QR codes to redirect users to the original (and illegal) betting platform in blatant violation of current laws.
And by partnering with celebrities – a list that also includes Yuvraj Singh, another Indian cricketer – platforms like 1xBet gained ‘massive visibility’ and are cheating people.
Preliminary findings suggest these endorsements may breach multiple Indian laws, including the Information Technology (IT) Act, the Foreign Exchange Management Act, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and the Benami Transactions Act, as well as advisories issued by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
“Some celebrities have already been issued notices, while others are likely to be issued soon,” the official added.
Media representatives for Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina declined to comment. Requests for responses from Yuvraj Singh, Sonu Sood and Urvashi Rautela remained unanswered at the time of publication. ED officials said the platforms often promote themselves as skill-based games but operate on luck-based outcomes, using rigged algorithms that classify them as gambling operations under Indian law.
The investigation has also reached media organisations alleged to have published surrogate advertisements in return for significant payouts. The ED has tracked over Rs 50 crore paid to media outlets and advertising firms, with more transactions under review.
How Scam Operates
How the Scam Operates ED officials created dummy user accounts to track transactions on these platforms. They found that benami and mule accounts are frequently used, with most remaining active for only a few hours. By the time authorities flag virtual payment addresses and request data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the funds are typically withdrawn or redirected.
A public interest litigation filed in Telangana reports over 1,023 suicides linked to online betting losses. Victims include students, homemakers, daily wage earners and unemployed youth. Investigators said schoolchildren are skipping classes to bet, college students are using tuition money to gamble, and many families only discover the financial damage once a crisis occurs.