Cricketing Icons Entangled: ED Targets Illegal Betting Links

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized assets of cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina, linking them to illegal betting through the platform 1xBet. The cricketers allegedly endorsed illegal betting for payments disguised via foreign intermediaries. The probe highlights the economic and legal risks of online gambling in India.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken action against former cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina, seizing assets worth Rs 11.14 crore as part of a money laundering investigation tied to illegal betting operations exceeding Rs 1,000 crore.

The ED's investigation reveals that Dhawan and Raina allegedly endorsed 1xBet and related platforms in exchange for payments that were laundered through foreign entities. The agency has issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to attach a piece of commercial land worth Rs 4.5 crore belonging to Dhawan and Raina's mutual fund investments amounting to Rs 6.64 crore.

The probe has exposed a significant network facilitating illicit online gambling, involving 6,000 mule bank accounts and unverified merchant onboardings, prompting the ED to caution against online betting, highlighting its legal and economic dangers.