The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to the former Indian players, Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, after questioning the two former star players, Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, in connection with the money laundering case against the illegal online betting platforms. This has been used on multiple platforms for surrogate advertisements and to collect funds from the use.

The former wicket-keeper opening batter, Robin Uthappa, was asked to appear at the headquarters of the ED on September 22 and record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). On the other hand, the premier spin all-rounder of the Blue Brigade, Yuvraj, has been asked to appear at the centre on September 25 after the activation of the new Online Gaming Bill 2025. 

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Despite the new rule from the Indian goverment and its instruction from the Centre that advertisements of online betting platforms are not permitted, despite this, the famous personalities in the field of entertainment and sports endorsed them. They are now under the scanner of the ED and could get summoned soon, as the officer revealed.

ED summons Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Sonu Sood and others for Online Betting Money Laundering Case 

ED gathered the information over the past several months, and betting platforms, which have been banned over the years, run their operations by changing names. These platforms violate multiple laws and directions by the Indian government, including tax evasion, money laundering, and the Foreign Exchange Management Act, as the money has been transferred out of the country illegally.

Along with Yuvraj and Uthappa, the Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has also been called for the case. The former TMC member of the Parliament, Mimi Chakrabarty, has also been questioned, while the Tollywood actor, Ankush Hazra, was questioned by the ED officers. Bollywood’s Urvashi Rautela is also anticipated to appear before the agency, but she has not come to record her statement.

In July, the agency had called the representative of the Google and Meta universe for questioning as part of the probe. Yuvraj and Uthappa are both part of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup-winning side, while the former has been helping to raise funds for flood-hit victims in Punjab.

Former India cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with the allegedly illegal betting platform 1xBet. Uthappa is scheduled to appear before ED investigators on Monday, September 22, at the agency's Delhi headquarters, while Yuvraj will be questioned the following day.

According to a source, “Uthappa has been asked to appear before ED investigators at the agency’s Delhi headquarters on September 22, while Singh has been summoned on September 23.” The summons follows the recording of statements from retired Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in the case.

Officials have stated that the investigation relates to alleged violations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), with a focus on financial transactions linked to the banned betting platform. “Investigators believe promotional activities and financial trails tied to celebrities endorsing the brand could be crucial in establishing the app’s money flow,” a source added.

Roles of Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa

Both Yuvraj and Uthappa have appeared in promotional videos for 1xBet, and they are required to record their statements under the PMLA. Yuvraj made his international debut in October 2000 against Kenya. He played 40 Tests, 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is. He was the Player of the Tournament when India won the 2011 ODI World Cup and finished his international career with 11,778 runs and 148 wickets. He now spends his time playing golf with friends.

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Uthappa, on the other hand, has played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is, scoring 934 and 249 runs in that time, respectively. While he did not reach the heights that people expected him to on the international stage, he became an extremely good IPL batter, especially during his time with Kolkata Knight Riders. The 39-year-old currently works as a cricket expert, appearing on several pre-match and post-match shows.

Indian star cricketer Shikhar Dhawan went to the Enforcement Directorate's office in connection with an online betting app case. ED summoned Dhawan to conduct a probe into the matter, which related to a betting app, which is not legal.

The allegation against Dhawan is that he might have been linked to the app through certain endorsements. According to media reports, ED wants to understand the mode of the possible links. Through questioning the 39-year-old, the investigators tried to find the relationship between Dhawan and the app named 1xBet.

It is known that the probe agency will record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of this investigation. The agency is probing multiple such cases involving illegal betting apps that are alleged to have duped numerous people and investors of crores of rupees or to have evaded a huge amount of taxes. The Central Government of India has clarified their stance about betting apps or real-money-deal online games.

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Several other celebrities also under scanner 

Last month, ED had summoned former India international Suresh Raina to record his statement under provisions of the PMLA as well. After an initial investigation, it is understood that violations of multiple laws, including the Technology Act, the Foreign Exchange Management Act, and the PMLA, are possible. According to various media reports, celebrities like Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Harbhajan Singh, Urvashi Rautela, and Suresh Raina have been under the scanner by the ED for promoting such illegal apps. 

Now, if we discuss Dhawan's international career, the opener played 269 matches for Team India and scored 10,867 in total. As a major achievement, he won the Champions Trophy title for Men in Blue in 2014. 

The recently approved Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, has sent shockwaves through not just Indian cricket but also the advertising and gaming industries. This law bans real money gaming platforms and advertising, completely eliminating one of the biggest sources of sponsorship revenues in sport. 

Several IPL franchises from the KKR, LSG, and SRH had lucrative sponsorships with these gaming companies, earning anywhere between ₹10-20 crore in revenue per franchise annually. Those revenue streams are now gone. Even with smaller leagues, state tournaments, and legends competitions, where the revenue streams relied on these sponsorships for survival, will also see drastically reduced revenues. 

Industry experts are estimating that the overall advertising market is losing on average ₹8,000-10,000 crore a year. Karan Taurani, executive vice president at Elara Capital, said, "Online gaming companies accounted for nearly 7-8% of India's total ad spends, and now that will disappear by almost 80%". His view is that real money gaming made up 75-80% of the entire gaming market, which will directly entail serious consequences for digital advertising, and in total, digital advertising will shrink by 15-20%.

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Online Gaming Ban Impacts Sports Sponsorships

Cricketers will also feel the crunch. Fantasy platforms like Dream11, My11 Circle, and MPL had brand endorsement deals with leading players. Following the ban, player endorsement income is estimated to fall by 20-25%, which is an approximate loss of ₹150-200 crores yearly. This decline will affect the younger cricketers and players outside the top tier the most, as a majority depended solely on these deals as income for brand revenue.

The government, however, has defended itself, at least in part. It cited several public-grade complaints concerning widespread and huge monetary losses amongst gamers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that while endorsing the bill, it would “save our society from the ills of online money games, which can be harmful to our society”. Critics stated that if gaming is going to be controlled as a social issue, then other areas, such as liquor and casinos, should also be addressed similarly due to social issues.

To enforce the ban, they blocked banking channels that allowed for transactions. There will be a “national authority” that will regulate compliance, classify online games, and impose fines of ₹1 crore or three years’ imprisonment for offenders.

The new law should disrupt the ecosystem of digital advertising in India, but will undoubtedly create a sad lasting impression on cricket sponsorships, sports leagues, and brand endorsements.

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill has sent shockwaves through Indian cricket. With the fantasy gaming platforms banned, Dream11 will no longer sponsor the Indian cricket team, and the BCCI is already on the hunt for a new sponsor before the Asia Cup 2025. While the board may not feel much of an impact, Indian players and IPL franchises could face financial consequences that might be too much to absorb.   

For years, the top Indian players have been partnering with these platforms. Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and the Pandya brothers promoted Dream11, while Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were with My11 Circle. Virat Kohli promoted MPL, and MS Dhoni had a deal with Winzo. With the ban, all of those contracts will evaporate. Reports suggest Virat Kohli could be around INR 10-12 crore every year, while Rohit Sharma's endorsement income could drop by 6-7 crore+. Dhoni is also likely to lose around 4-6 crore every deal.

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Indian players may face heavy losses as gaming sponsors exit

As per a report from Cricbuzz, all Indian players could suffer losses of as much as 150-200 crore in a year. For some, it could be even more. For example, Siraj had three brand deals, one of which was with My11 Circle, meaning he has immediately lost roughly one-third of his total sponsorship fees, while others, such as Washington Sundar, completely rely on the platform and therefore are likely to face a greater hit. Meanwhile, the IPL is also likely to suffer. My11 Circle had an associate sponsorship deal with the league for a total of INR 125 crore, with still three years left on the contract with the BCCI. The franchises, too (KKR, LSG, SRH), have contracts worth 10-20 crore a year in brand partnerships.

Coming to the totals, experts believe that the total loss will be about INR 10,000 crore a year. Online gaming platforms made up 7-8% of the total advertising market, and it's expected that almost 80% of that would go away, hence around 15-20% of digital ad spends will disappear, while also the goldmine of cricket and consequently content revenue will suffer.

As Karan Taurani from Elara Capital mentioned, while cricketers’ endorsement earnings could fall to 20-25%, this is one of the main factors between players and brands to has occurred in a long time. The BCCI may replace the sponsors, but players and IPL franchises are currently looking at a substantial loss.

Since Dream11 informed their decision to back out from the Indian cricket jersey sponsorship ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, a few companies have shown their interest in joining hands with the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Due to the promotion and regulation of the Online Gaming Bill 2025, passed by the parliament, they have backed out.

The decision has put the Indian cricket board in a crisis position of looking for a new sponsor ahead of the event, which is scheduled to begin on September 09 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The NDTV reports have claimed that two companies are interested in becoming India’s title sponsor for the competition.

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“Toyota Motor Corporation and a Fintech start-up have all shown interest till now. However, the official tendering process has not started yet.” The report addressed the Suryakumar Yadav-led side, who are also scheduled to face Pakistan despite the terror attack a few months ago in the Asia Cup event.

Toyota expected to become India’s next sponsor during Asia Cup 2025

Dream11 has a 2023-26 contract of USD 44 million, which is around INR 358 crore, for being the title sponsor of the Indian cricket team. The Official IPL partner, My11Circle, committed INR 625 crore in February 2024 for a deal that is valid till 2028.

“If it’s not permissible, we’ll not do anything. The BCCI will follow every policy of the country that is framed by the central government. (Representatives of) Dream11 visited the BCCI office and informed CEO Hemang Amin that they won’t be able to continue. As a result, they won’t be the team’s sponsors for the Asia Cup. The BCCI will float a new tender soon.” The report quoted as saying by the officials.

Dream11 is among India’s largest firms. In FY23, the parent company, Dream Sports, got nearly INR 2964 crore for the promotions and advertisements, which was a 37% increase from the previous year. The newly passed law is anticipated to disrupt the advertising market, as the fantasy market has spent over INR 5000 crore on this department.

The promotion and the regulation of the Online Gaming Bill 2025 have been passed in the Rajya Sabha on August 21, 2025, which has cleared the Union Cabinet and both Houses of Parliament within the next three days. The government aims to move quickly to ban the real money games (RMGs).

The law will now head toward President Droupadi Murmu’s desk for her signature, which will lead it to an Act. The move could render many fantasy leagues like Dream11, MPL, and PokerBaazi’s main revenue activities of pay-to-play-based gaming platforms, which are now expected to be crushed overnight.

“It is the responsibility of the government and Parliament to take strict action against malpractices in society, like chit funds. Problems (due to online money games) have led to several families being destroyed.” Union Minister for Electronic and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, expressed at the Upper House of Parliament that MPs across party lines would support the law.

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The Bill has been passed to the Upper House Clause-by-clause, amidst all the loud cheers and allegations of ‘vote theft’ from the opposition parties, two MPs, CPI’s John Brittas, and V. Sivadasan, as it moved the proposals purportedly to amend the Bill on certain clauses. However, they took the floor to repeat the allegations, as the deputy chairman, Harivansh, addressed that these remarks wouldn’t be taken on record.

Rapid process of Online Gaming Bill 2025

Vaishnaw observed that the law won’t be subject to the prolonged timelines of the other key laws, which have been worked on by the IT Ministry, named the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. The regulations were worked out after months of consultations with the industry and the other stakeholders.

“With a prohibition, you can’t do consultations. With a prohibition, you can’t do consultations.” Vaishnaw expressed that the bill includes a prohibition.

The Bill is being referred to as the online money games in the text, with the industry yet to comment on it, but reportedly has appealed in a letter to the Home Minister, Amit Shah, to reprieve the ban. Probo, which is an opinion trading firm for permitting wagers on the outcomes of various events, has called the passed Bill really unfortunate and declared that it would suspend the real money gaming product.

After a short notification after the Bill’s enactment, as highlighted by Mr. Vaishnaw, it would bring a change immediately. The Ministers of Youth Affairs, the Sports, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting would take various steps to promote e-sports, as the government pointed out in the statement.

Nazara Technologies invested nearly US$122 million in PokerBaazi and saw a dip of 2% on August 21. It has fallen about 15% since the Bill was spoken about in the Lok Sabha.

“Nazara has no direct exposure to real money gaming (RMG) businesses. The Company’s only indirect exposure to RMG is through its 46.07% stake in Moonshine Technologies Private Limited (PokerBaazi). As Nazara does not hold a majority stake or exercise control, Moonshine’s revenue is not consolidated in the Company’s financial statements and has no impact on the Company’s reported Revenue or EBITDA.” The firm expressed in a filing with the bourses.

Delta Corp. Ltd., a casino and gaming firm, owns the poker platform Adda52, which has seen a record dip of 3.14%.

Government issues media statement on Online Gaming Bills 2025

The government released a media statement on the Online Gaming bill development, where they claimed that the platforms are often used for financial fraud, money laundering, and messaging activity that threatens national security.

“The government believes that the harms of addiction, financial loss, and even extreme consequences such as suicides associated with online money gaming can be prevented by preventing such activities.” The media statement released by the government, as claimed by CricTracker, addressed

“Additionally, online money gaming platforms are often misused for financial fraud, money laundering, terror financing, and messaging activity that compromises national security.” It added.

BCCI secretary clarifies stance on Online Gaming Bill 2025

The secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Devajit Saikia, clarifies the stance of the board, stating that the cricketing body will follow all the rules and regulations and will not do anything that is not permitted.

“The act has just been discussed in the Lok Sabha today and the Rajya Sabha yesterday. It would then take a final shape, go through Presidential assent, and then there will be a 'date of appointment.' We will then read it, and then only we will take a call on whatever is there.” The BCCI secretary was quoted as saying by TOI.  

“The BCCI will not do anything which is not permitted by the government or by any law of the country. The BCCI will not violate any of the laws enforced in the country. That's very clear.” Saikia expressed.

The veteran also highlighted that they won’t do anything that is not under permission. Saikia also questioned if the BCCI has any companies or sponsorship in the cigarettes and liquor companies.

“Once the act comes into force, we will look into it, examine it, and if it's permissible, then we will take sponsorship (from online betting and gaming companies), if it's not permissible, we'll not do anything. Take the example of cigarettes and liquor. Has the BCCI taken any sponsorship from the cigarettes and liquor companies, since taking sponsorship from these kinds of companies was banned?” Devajit Saikia said in the same interaction.

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“So, whatever is permissible in the laws in force in our country, we will do that only. The BCCI will follow every policy of the country that is framed by the central government.” The BCCI secretary revealed.

Effect of Online Gaming Bill 2025 on cricket revenue

The Online Gaming Bill 2025 can put the multi-billion-dollar fantasy gaming industry at risk. It aims to put an end to the vast diversity of the online gaming fraternity, including eSports, social, and casual gaming, real money gaming, and educational gaming. There are restrictions to the online money game, as recent reports have claimed.

“No person shall offer, aid, abet, induce, or otherwise facilitate any transaction or authorization of funds towards payment for any online money gaming service.” The Prohibition Act explains. As per the offences and the penalties, real money gaming is a crime and could lead to jail, and the service provider could also get fined a handsome amount.

The Economic Times reports reveal that the Indian cricket team’s title rights bag a whopping sum of INR 358 crore from the Dream11 partnership, while, on the flip side, the My11Circle pays a fee of INR 625 crore to buy the IPL fantasy gaming rights for a slot of five years. In the Indian Sports community, the fantasy sports companies pay a huge amount.

From Dream11 to My11Circle, it’s a given-take act. The My11Circle is even the official sports partner of the Indian Premier League (IPL), something which Dream11 was part of in the past. That gives birth to trust among the users.

The clauses of the bill state that real money gaming is putting a lot of pressure on social problems and will need regulations. The first and second rules of the ninth clause mention the implications of the real money gaming services or advertisements.

The first, the punishment shall be imprisonment for a huge term up to three years or a fine up to rupees one crore, or both. For the second, it comes down to an imprisonment of two years or a fine of rupees fifty lakhs or both.

“Cricket is huge in India, and there won’t be any dearth of sponsors for Indian cricket and its properties. However, the personal sponsorship market can shrink because of this bill.” The renowned sports lawyer, Vidushpat Singhania, spoke on the matter as per the PTI.

Apart from the sponsorship or the right deals, the individual sports stars also get endorsements from these companies, which can be valued at crores. That will be another issue.

As per the bill, the paying and earning money on the real money gaming platforms will be stopped. However, the catch is that they can turn to a subscription-based model to test the analytical skills of the users, but the usual money will be stopped.

“Any person who offers online money gaming service in contravention of section 5 shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine which may extend to one crore rupees or with both.” Clause 9 (1) reads.

“Any person who makes or causes to make an advertisement in any media, in contravention of section 6, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with a fine which may extend to fifty lakh rupees or with both.” Clause 9 (2) reads.

There is no doubt that the multi-billion dollar industry is facing a huge setback, which could be highlighted in the sponsorship deals along with the clubs and franchises of the game, more so of Indian cricket.

It has made a new issue, which finds the Indian team in danger of losing their jersey sponsor for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which is set to begin in the second week of September. The BCCI has already announced the 15-member squad for the tournament, to which there have been multiple reports on the decision of omitting their middle-order batter, Shreyas Iyer, from the squad.

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Due to this new development, BCCI will now need to look for new sponsorship options. The faces of several past and present cricketers, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni included, promoted the fantasy leagues during the series of the national side and even during the Indian Premier League (IPL).

But now that the bill is getting passed, it will be up to the BCCI to take new decisions and paths regarding the matter.  

Expected changes to the gaming industry

With the end of the Online Gaming Bill, it’s expected to change the sports industry. Esports will now get recognized as a legitimate sport, with the sports ministry tasked to frame guidelines. It will support the training academies, technology platforms, and other schemes. This move is also anticipated to unlock the investment, talent pipelines, and broadcast rights to bring the games closer to the mainstream economy.

The national online gaming authority will also be established in categories and register their games. It needs to be determined if it gets qualified as a money game. The body will still need to issue various rules and regulations, and orders to ensure the regulation of the sector.

The bill, which offers a complete ban on offering, operating, or facilitating online money games, can’t be advertised or promoted on any media platform, while the banks and the financial firms are stopped from processing the related transactions.

“No bank, financial institution, or any other person facilitating financial transactions or authorization of funds shall engage in, permit, aid, abet, induce, or otherwise facilitate any transaction or authorization of funds towards payment for any online money gaming service.” The clause was added.

India’s online gaming sector is a whopping USD 3.7 billion in 2025, as per the WinZo-IEIC report, and has been disrupted even since the bill was tabled in the parliament. Nearly 86% of the sector’s revenue originates from the transaction and real-money-based games.

The proposal will affect platforms like Dream11, My11Circle, PokerBaazi, Winzo, Gamescraft, 99Games, and many. But these are the games that have taken the lion’s share of the revenue for these platforms that generated the real money gaming platforms.