By Sinjini Mitra
On 4th September 2025, the former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged illegal betting app, 1xBet, official sources stated.
The 39 year old former Indian player entered the ED’s central Delhi office around 11AM, where his statement was recorded under the prevention of money laundering act (PMLA) by the investigators. According to the sources the former India opener was associated with a betting app through endorsements, and the investigators are now examining the nature and extent of his links during the formal investigation.
The ED is investigating several such cases involving illegal betting apps that have allegedly duped crores of rupees, have cheated lakhs of people and siphoned off hefty sums of money and evaded significant taxes over the years. Last month, a former cricket player Suresh Raina was questioned in this case, underscoring the agency’s focus on celebrity endorsements and promotional ties with these types of apps.
To stop the growing nuisance the union government has banned real-money online gaming by bringing legislation recently. According to market analysis and data gathered from probe agencies, about 22 crore Indians are users of online betting apps out of which half about 11 crore are regular users. Currently the Indian online betting market is valued at over $100 billion and is now expanding at an annual rate of 30%.
The government has informed the parliament that between 2022 and June 2025, it had issued 1524 orders to block online betting and gambling platforms.
The ED’s ongoing probe aims to track the money trail linked to these apps and examine potential violations of India’s anti-money laundering framework. Officials have stated that Dhawan’s recent deposition is a part of efforts to map celebrity associations that may helped to popularize the banned betting app in India.