ED records Raina's statement in illegal betting probe

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday recorded the statement of cricketer Suresh Raina in connection with its larger money laundering probe against several illegal online betting platforms, which use multiple platforms for surrogate advertisements and collect funds from their users, officials said. Former cricketer Suresh Raina. (PTI)
The former India player reached the ED headquarters at around 11 am and was examined till evening.
Raina's statement was recorded under the prevention of money laundering act (PMLA) for endorsing a sports betting app, which indulged in illegal practices.
An officer, without naming the player, said 'another former Indian cricketer has also been asked to appear before the agency.'
ED is calling several celebrities to understand their links with the betting apps, any endorsement fee earned and the mode of communication between them.
Earlier, the agency had called the representatives of Google and Meta for questioning as part of this probe.
The financial crimes probe agency is probing multiple illegal online betting platforms and has questioned tech firms, media houses' representatives who have received money in the form of advertisements from them.
Several platforms hosting illegal betting and gambling links, including instances of advertisements placed for them on various social media outlets and app stores, are under the ED scanner.
In 2023, the Union ministry of information and broadcasting issued four advisories to newspapers, broadcast news channels, entertainment channels, publishers of online news and current affairs content, online advertisement intermediaries (like Google and Facebook), and social media platforms to not advertise online betting platforms.
Despite these instructions from the Centre, eminent personalities in the field of entertainment and sports endorsed them. These actors and sportspersons are also under the ED's scanner and they could be summoned soon, according to an ED officer.
According to the information gathered by ED over the past several months, multiple betting platforms, which have been banned over the years, still run their operations by changing names and are promoted by celebrities and social media influencers.
'These platforms are in violation of multiple laws and directions by the Indian government, including tax evasion, money laundering, and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) as money is transferred out of the country illegally. It is estimated that around 220 million Indian users are currently engaged on various betting apps, and 110 million of these are regular users,' said the officer.
In just the first three months of 2025, more than 1.6 billion visits were recorded on illegal betting websites or apps and it is suspected that the online betting market in India might be worth around $100 million, the first ED officer said. 'The estimates also suggest that top betting apps are evading ₹27,000 crore in taxes every year,' the officer said.
The government has issued 1,524 blocking orders against illegal gambling websites and mobile apps between 2022 and June 2025, as revealed in a response from the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) in the ongoing monsoon session.