Investigation Into Illegal Online Betting And Celebrity Endorsements In India

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is intensifying its probe into illegal online betting platforms. The focus is on endorsements by former cricketers and film stars.

Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Sonu Sood, and Urvashi Rautela have been questioned about their promotional ties with banned platforms like 1xBet, FairPlay, Parimatch, and Lotus365. These platforms often disguise themselves as skill-based games but operate on luck-based outcomes.

According to ED officials, these platforms use rigged algorithms that classify them as gambling operations under Indian law. "These betting platforms are using surrogate names like 1xbat and 1xbat sporting lines in advertising campaigns. The ads often include QR codes that redirect users to betting sites-blatantly violating Indian law," a top official was quoted in an NDTV Profit report.

Legal Implications of Celebrity Endorsements

Preliminary findings indicate that these endorsements might violate several Indian laws. These include the Information Technology (IT) Act, the Foreign Exchange Management Act, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and the Benami Transactions Act. Advisories from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology are also potentially breached.

"Some celebrities have already been issued notices, while others are likely to be issued soon," an 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.

Massive Scale and Social Impact

The illegal online betting market in India is estimated at over $100 billion. It is growing at a rate of 30% annually. Between January and March 2025 alone, these platforms received more than 1.6 billion visits. Tax evasion from these operations is estimated at Rs 27,000 crore per year.

Officials estimate that around 22 crore Indians access these apps, with approximately 11 crore being regular users. Celebrity endorsements have led many users to mistakenly view these gambling platforms as legitimate entertainment options.

Investigative Methods Unveiled

The ED has tracked over Rs 50 crore paid to media outlets and advertising firms for surrogate advertisements. Investigators created dummy user accounts to track transactions on these platforms. They discovered benami and mule accounts frequently used for short durations.

By the time authorities flag virtual payment addresses and request data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), funds are usually withdrawn or redirected elsewhere.

Impact on Society

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. Schoolchildren are skipping classes to bet; college students are using tuition money for gambling.

Families often discover financial damage only when a crisis occurs. The social impact is profound as many individuals fall into debt traps due to unchecked gambling habits facilitated by these platforms.