Actress and former Trinamool Congress MP, Mimi Chakraborty, presented herself before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday, September 15, 2025, for questioning regarding a money-laundering investigation tied to an alleged illicit betting application, officials confirmed.
Chakraborty, aged 36, is currently having her statement recorded under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The case specifically concerns an unregulated online betting application known as 1xBet.
It is believed that the former MP and actress has connections to the app through various endorsements and financial dealings. The ED aims to uncover the full extent of her involvement with this platform during her interrogation.
The agency is actively investigating several similar cases involving unauthorized betting applications, which are accused of defrauding countless individuals and investors of immense sums of money, or of avoiding substantial tax payments.
Previously, prominent cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan were also interrogated by the federal investigative body in connection with this ongoing case.
Actress Urvashi Rautela, 31, has been summoned by the ED to provide her statement on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, in relation to this matter. Rautela serves as the Indian ambassador for 1xBet.
According to the company itself, 1xBet is a globally recognized bookmaker with nearly two decades of experience in the betting sector. The platform allows its customers to wager on thousands of sporting events, offering its website and application in 70 different languages.
It is anticipated that more public figures, including athletes and other celebrities, will be called in for questioning by the agency in the near future.
The Union government recently outlawed real-money online gaming through newly enacted legislation.
Market analysis firms and investigative agencies estimate that approximately 220 million Indian users engage with various online betting applications, with roughly half, or 110 million, being regular participants.
Experts suggest that the Indian online betting app market exceeds $100 billion in value and is experiencing a rapid growth rate of 30%.
The government recently informed Parliament that between 2022 and June 2025, it issued 1,524 directives to block numerous online betting and gambling platforms.