Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday in New Delhi for questioning related to the ongoing investigation into the illegal betting app 1xBet.
The federal agency is probing alleged money laundering and celebrity endorsements linked to the platform, which has come under scrutiny for violating India’s gaming and financial laws.
Rautela, who was reportedly summoned twice before, joined a growing list of public figures questioned by the ED, including cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, and Shikhar Dhawan, as well as actor Sonu Sood and TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty. The agency is investigating how celebrities were approached by the betting company, the nature of their contracts, and the mode and location of payments—whether through banking channels or hawala networks.
Sources indicate that Rautela was listed as the “India ambassador” for 1xBet, a Curacao-registered platform that claims global reach and multilingual access. The ED is examining whether endorsement fees paid to celebrities were used to acquire assets considered “proceeds of crime” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The Union government recently banned real-money online gaming through new legislation, citing concerns over addiction, financial fraud, and illegal transactions. With over 22 crore Indian users reportedly active on such platforms before the ban, the crackdown marks a significant shift in regulatory enforcement.
