(Image source from: Instagram.com/shikhardofficial)
Former Indian cricket player Shikhar Dhawan was asked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday to come in for questioning related to a money laundering investigation tied to an illegal betting application. The central agency will document Shikhar Dhawan's remarks under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of this inquiry associated with an unlawful betting app called 1xBet. The 39-year-old ex-Indian cricketer is believed to have connections to the app through specific endorsements. The ED aims to clarify his relationship with this application during the questioning. The agency is looking into several cases involving illegal betting applications said to have cheated many individuals and investors out of crores of rupees or avoided paying significant taxes. Last month, former cricketer Suresh Raina was interrogated by the federal agency regarding this matter. The Union government has recently prohibited real-money online gaming through new legislation.
The ED questioned Suresh Raina, 38, for over eight hours. The federal agency recorded Raina's statements under the PMLA as part of its investigation concerning a sports betting app named 1xBet, sources revealed. Raina, who has played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs, and 78 T20Is for India, is believed to have been associated with the app through various endorsements. Recently, the agency summoned representatives from Google and Meta for questioning as part of its investigation. It also carried out searches across multiple states on Tuesday related to another investigation against an online betting app called Parimatch. The agency is examining numerous cases involving illegal betting apps that are said to have scammed many individuals and investors of crores of rupees or avoided considerable tax payments. Estimates from market research firms and investigative agencies suggest that there are around 22 crore Indian users of different online betting apps, with half (approximately 11 crore) being regular users. Experts believe that the market for online betting applications in India exceeds USD 100 billion and is expanding at a growth rate of 30 percent.
