New Delhi, Aug 4 : Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan found himself at the center of controversy on Thursday after being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged money laundering case involving the unauthorized betting app 1xBet. Dhawan, who had appeared in advertisements endorsing the app, was summoned to clarify details of his promotional agreement. The cricketer reached the ED office around 11 a.m. and underwent several hours of interrogation regarding the nature of his association with the app, which is not authorized to operate in India but has a wide user base in the online gambling ecosystem. The ED’s investigation into 1xBet, a Cyprus-based company, intensified following suspicions of large-scale financial irregularities and illegal betting activities. The app is known to facilitate betting on cricket, football, tennis, and e-sports, and even enables Telegram-based payments, raising red flags about its legality and funding channels. Notably, Dhawan is not the only celebrity to come under scrutiny former cricketer Suresh Raina was also recently questioned in the same case. Dhawan’s involvement has raised concerns due to his stature as a public figure, especially after his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2023.This controversy mirrors the uproar surrounding the Mahadev Satta App scandal, which saw Bollywood celebrities like Ranbir Kapoor, Boman Irani, and Shraddha Kapoor under the ED’s scanner. The Mahadev case unearthed a ₹5,000 crore hawala racket with cross-border links to UAE and Pakistan, prompting stronger regulatory scrutiny of the digital gaming and gambling sector. As part of this crackdown, the Indian government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, aiming to curb unlawful gaming and introduce structured oversight for legitimate e-sports and gaming platforms.According to official figures, 1,524 orders banning illegal gambling platforms have been issued since 2022, with the government determined to clean up the rapidly expanding digital gaming space. Dhawan’s alleged association with a banned platform is being viewed as a cautionary tale for other celebrities endorsing digital platforms without due diligence. With increasing instances of celebrities being linked to financial scams, regulators and agencies are likely to increase the heat on brand endorsements in the online gaming sector.
