In a major crackdown on illegal betting, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 7.93 crore belonging to celebrities including cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, actors Sonu Sood, Urvashi Rautela, Mimi Chakraborty, Ankush Hazra, and Neha Sharma. The action, carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, is part of the ED’s ongoing probe into the 1xBet betting platform, the agency stated.
An ED investigation revealed that the celebrities knowingly entered into endorsement agreements with foreign entities to promote 1xBet through their surrogates. According to the anti-money laundering agency, these endorsements were made in return for payments routed through foreign entities to conceal the illicit origin of the funds, which are linked to Proceeds of Crime (POC) generated from illegal betting activities.
The Enforcement Directorate has attached movable and immovable assets valued at Rs 7.93 crore belonging to Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Urvashi Rautela, Sonu Sood, Mimi Chakraborty, Ankush Hazra and Neha Sharma under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act…
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2025
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The probe also revealed that 1xBet operated in India without authorisation. The company used surrogate branding and advertisements to target users through social media, online videos, and print media in India. Additionally, the payments for endorsements were structured through layered transactions using foreign intermediaries to disguise the illegal source of funds, stated the ED.
