The Enforcement Directorate’s crackdown on illegal betting apps has widened its net, pulling in some of India’s biggest names from both cricket and Bollywood. Actor Sonu Sood along with cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, are the latest celebrities summoned for questioning over their alleged links to betting giant 1xBet and other similar platforms.
Sonu Sood, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa under ED scanner in illegal betting app probe
According to ED sources, Uthappa is scheduled to appear on Monday, Yuvraj Singh on Tuesday, and Sonu Sood on Wednesday. They join an ever-expanding list of public figures, including former cricketers Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, and Harbhajan Singh, as well as actors Urvashi Rautela, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Lakshmi Manchu, and Trinamool MP Mimi Chakraborty.
At the centre of this controversy is 1xBet, an offshore platform banned by the Indian government in 2023 for flouting gambling laws. While the company and its avatars — often rebranded as 1xBat or similar names — claimed to run “skill-based gaming,” investigations have found rigged algorithms that ensured players lost more often than they won, making it gambling under Indian law.
Despite the ban, 1xBet maintained a strong presence in India, thanks to aggressive marketing campaigns featuring high-profile celebrities. Sources reveal over Rs. 50 crore was spent on advertising through media outlets and social media platforms. The app also frequently switched names to dodge shutdowns, while operators based overseas took advantage of lax gambling laws in other countries.
For celebrities, the ED’s key question is simple: Did they knowingly endorse an illegal enterprise? The agency is probing whether actors and sportspersons were aware that such apps were banned, and whether they disclosed income earned from promotional deals. Former cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, for instance, was grilled for over eight hours in Delhi last week.
The investigation isn’t limited to celebrities. Tech giants Google and Meta have also come under scrutiny for hosting and promoting ads of betting apps on their platforms. ED officials recorded the statement of a Google representative in July, while Meta has reportedly extended cooperation.
The stakes are enormous — sources estimate over 22 crore Indians have downloaded or accessed betting apps, making this a Rs. 8.3 lakh crore industry that robs the government of nearly Rs. 27,000 crore annually in taxes. With the new Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming law passed this year, authorities are signalling a tough stance on addiction, fraud, and celebrity-backed endorsements.
For now, all eyes are on Bollywood and cricket’s brightest stars, as they prepare to answer tough questions about their association with apps that may have defrauded millions of Indians.
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