The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has called a 39 year old former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan to enquire in a money laundering case related to the illegal betting application 1xBet. The police have requested Dhawan to turn up at the Headquarters of the ED in Delhi on Thursday to give his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Why is ED questioning Shikhar Dhawan?
The ED is investigating the claim that Dhawan is the recipient of some financial or promotion relationship with 1xBet which has been accused of defrauding investors, evading taxes, and running fixed systems to break several laws such as the PMLA, the Information Technology Act and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
Shikhar Dhawan, next to Suresh Raina
This is in the wake of the previous move where ED summoned Suresh Raina, who was asked numerous questions about his endorsements of the same application, including the manner in which he was contacted, terms of payment, and taxation. Other celebrities such as actors and cricketers have also been dragged into the investigation. Similar claims are being investigated against platforms such as Parimatch, FairPlay and Lotus365, as well as 1xBet.
To curb such illegal betting activities, legislation has recently been passed by the federal government, outlawing real money online gambling in India. Following this BCCI and other organizations have ended sponsorship agreements with real money games like Dream11. As the ED expands its net to take on high profile promoters, the cooperation of Dhawan is expected to provide information on the use of influencers to promote such platforms and on whether they were aware they were involved in tax evasion or fraudulent investment activities.
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