Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan Summoned by ED in Illegal Betting App Probe.
Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked to an illegal betting app.
According to officials, the probe involves 1xBet, an online betting platform that Dhawan had allegedly promoted on social media. The ED has asked the 39-year-old former India opener to appear before investigators and clarify his role in the promotional activities. His statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The federal agency is currently investigating several betting apps accused of duping people of crores of rupees and evading large amounts of tax. Over the past year, a number of film stars and cricketers have come under the scanner for allegedly endorsing such platforms.
Those questioned so far include Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Urvashi Rautela, Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, and Prakash Raj. Last month, Raina appeared before the ED in connection with the case.
The crackdown follows the government’s recent ban on real-money online gaming. On Wednesday, the ED alleged that betting sites “operated” by arrested Karnataka Congress MLA K.C. Veerendra had collected more than ₹2,000 crore in a short span. Investigators claim Veerendra and his Dubai-based associates ran multiple gaming websites, funnelling money through various payment gateways and fintech firms to disguise their operations as legitimate e-commerce businesses.
Veerendra, arrested late last month from Sikkim while on a casino-related trip, is currently in ED custody.
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