New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned cricketers Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj Singh and Bollywood actor Sonu Sood for questioning in the 1xBet Money Laundering case.
Sources told UNI that the agency has scheduled their appearances at its Delhi headquarters on different days. Robin Uthappa is required to appear on September 22, followed by Yuvraj Singh on September 23, and Sonu Sood on September 24.
According to ED sources, these celebrities had participated in promotional campaigns for 1xBet, which significantly helped the illegal platform build a substantial user base in India despite its prohibition.
The agency also issued a statement expressing concern about a new threat emerging from the recent ban on regulated money gaming apps. It warned of a potential rise in illegal betting platforms targeting users in India and emphasized the need for focused strategies to counter this challenge.
Officials provided staggering figures to illustrate the scale of the problem, noting that in the first quarter of this year alone, illegal betting websites received more than one billion hits. The total value of unregulated gambling activity is estimated to be approximately 100 billion US Dollars.
This recent action is part of a wider crackdown, with the ED having already recorded statements from several other personalities. Bengali actor Ankush Hazra was questioned recently while actress Urvashi Rautela has not yet complied with the probe. Since June, the investigation has also involved former cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, as well as several actors from Tollywood, concerning their alleged endorsements of illegal gaming apps.
Investigators highlighted that a common tactic used by these platforms is to disguise gambling activities as "skill-based games" to evade legal restrictions. They clarified that the outcomes are predominantly based on chance rather than actual skill, and that fantasy games involving monetary stakes operate with rigged algorithms. The officials said any game involving money at stake constitutes gambling.
