New Delhi: Former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan faced ED questioning on Thursday in connection with alleged money laundering tied to an “unauthorised” gaming app endorsed by him in advertisements, an official said.
The former Team India opener was summoned by the probe agency to get clarity on his advertising contract with app named 1xBet, the official said.
Dhawan reportedly faced hours of grilling after he appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at around 11 a.m. here.
Apart from Dhawan, former cricketer Suresh Raina was also recently questioned by the ED in the 1xBet case.
Dhawan, who owns the South Delhi Superstarz team in the Delhi Premier League, retired from all forms of cricket in August last year after a career spanning over a decade. He played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is, scoring 2315, 6793, and 1579 runs, respectively, in the three formats.
The 1xBet India website claims the company offers many sports betting options to its registered users. It lists games like Aviator Game Online, Cricket betting line, and Online Casino Slots and accepts bets through Telegram payments on sporting events such as football, basketball, cricket, tennis, and e-sports.
The app’s company is headquartered in Cyprus and is among the largest online casinos. The company is known to have sponsored football teams in Spain and France.
Following investigations into alleged financial wrongdoings, the company was forced to withdraw services from the UK, the US, Russia, Spain and France.
The alleged controversy over Dhawan’s association with an illegal app comes close to storm raised last year by Mahadev Satta App which had roped in celebrities like actors Ranbir Kapoor, Boman Irani, Hina Khan and Shraddha Kapoor.
The ED launched a probe against the app after a lavish reception given by one of the founders of the gambling platform in UAE. The investigation also blew the lid off a Rs 5,000 crore hawala racket operating in UAE and Pakistan.
Last month, the Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, aiming to regulate the online gaming and e-sports sector, along with prohibiting all online games involving money.
As per government data, as many as 1,524 orders banning gambling platforms were issued between 2022 and June 2025.
(IANS)
