Betting infiltrated PCB during Imran Khan’s tenure

ISLAMABAD: The floodgate of betting companies in Pakistan was opened by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) during the tenure of former prime minister Imran Khan.

Interestingly, now after the official declaration of these surrogate companies as betting companies operating in Pakistan, and the government’s advice to immediately terminate agreements with them, the PCB still refuses to recognise these companies as betting companies.

Upon investigation, The News has learned that in 2021, during the PTI’s government when Ehsaan Mani was the PCB president, a No-objection Certificate (NOC) was given to Dafa News and their ads started to appear in Pakistan’s cricket.

Now more than 150 betting companies have infiltrated in the country. Moreover, apart from the Pakistan’s international cricket series, four out of six Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises onboarded these surrogate betting companies as their key sponsors.

It is pertinent to mention here that the notification issued by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting categorically stated that Dafa News operating in Pakistan is originally a betting company recognised as ‘dafabet’, 1XBET as 1XBat, WOLF111 as woLF111 and MELBET as MELBAT. These companies along with others are trying to introduce corruption in Pakistan sports teams and to put the economy into further turmoil through moving untaxed money out of the country in dollars, claimed the notification.

Ehaan Mani, when contacted by The News, was asked the following questions, 1) Why the PCB fell in agreement with Dafa News in 2021 during his tenure, 2) As the PCB administrates the PSL, why it did not regulate the PSL who openly took sponsors from these betting companies and why NOCs were given to the PSL at the first place? Ehsaan Mani refused to comment and asked The News to approach the PCB.

The same questions were sent to Salman Naseer, Chief Organisation Officer (COO) of the PCB, and Babar Nadeem, Commercial head of PCB. However, both of them refused to comment on the matter.

The News then contacted the PCB spokesperson who said that Dafa News is registered as a news agency in Pakistan and even if it is declared as a betting company by the government, there is no proof of it.

When highlighted by this correspondent that the government has advised the PCB along with others to immediately terminate their agreements with Dafa news and others, the PCB spokesperson replied, “They have advised us. There was no command or order.”

“Time will decide about the fate of our agreements with such companies as nothing has been proved so far. For now, the PCB is trying its best to keep itself distant from any betting company”, said the spokesperson.

Nevertheless, a source in the PCB told The News that the Board has also written a letter to Sindh Premier League and told them not to take any sponsors from any betting company.

A notification available with The News issued on 25th September by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting with the subject “Zero Tolerance for Surrogate Companies” stated that betting outfits have entered the local market which are mostly run from some hostile countries with the motive to destroy the moral fabric of Pakistan.

“It is critical to stop all such surrogate betting companies from operating in Pakistan. Therefore, Pakistan Cricket Board, Pakistan Super League, PSL Franchises, club cricket, private leagues, television channels, radio broadcasters, internet platforms, newspapers, magazines and other media/ advertisement platforms are strictly advised to not make any agreements and business relations with such surrogate companies and to not promote them through any kind of advertisement. Moreover, it is immediately advised to immediately terminate all existing agreements with such companies,” the ministry said.