Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has teamed up with 1xBat, a surrogate brand for illegal betting website 1xBet. Notably, 1xBet is an unlicensed betting operator and has been deemed illegal to do business in India.
Raina poses the brand as the ultimate resource for sports news and branded sportswear. However, the brand simply aims to promote its illegal betting services to his fans. Further, 1xBet wants to rake in as much money as possible without paying any taxes to the government.
These kinds of celebrity promotion are famous among illegal betting platforms as celebrities are viewed very highly by the fans and promotion of these websites are sure to bring in loads of people thinking it as a legitimate gaming service.
Joining my friends at 𝟏𝐱𝐁𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬! is always an excellent idea!
𝟏𝐱𝐁𝐚𝐭 is the ultimate resource that has it all! From top sports news to branded sportswear!
All the news is meticulously collected for you to enjoy, and exclusive sports garments… pic.twitter.com/JRRO15FPXV
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) August 16, 2023
1xBat’s association with cricket continues
This is not the first time 1xBet has used its surrogate brand to prime its services. The illegal platform was featured in Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) team Lyca Kovai Kings.
Not just India, 1xBat was also spotted as a sponsor for the recent Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Karachi Kings. Even the Legends League Cricket Masters in Qatar was plagued with betting brands as sponsors.
The Dutch Supreme Court recently ruled 1xBet as bankrupt in January. Despite the bankruptcy, it was operating without any issues. One way they did this is siphoning money from innocent users who trusted the platform to make money.
The government is currently working on a framework in order to curb these websites, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have banned several of these illegal websites while the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting have issued advisories to OTT and media platform not to promote these websites.
Despite that, the ads are prevalent and doesn’t seem like they will stop any time soon. All one can do is stay away from these illegal and banned betting platforms.