PCB denies betting rights report

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has categorically denied a newspaper report which claimed it had awarded betting rights to a United Kingdom-based company.

In a statement, the PCB said: "The Pakistan Cricket Board categorically denies and rejects the assertion that it entered into, or allowed any of its commercial partners to enter into, any contract or agreement for betting rights with any entity whatsoever. "The facts are HBL PSL's live-streaming rights outside Pakistan were granted pursuant to an international tender to an international company for three HBL PSL editions from 2019 to 2021. The global media rights partner, without following the due approval process, awarded the live-streaming rights to a betting company. As soon as the matter came to the PCB's notice, it immediately took it up with the media rights partner and correspondence in this regard is ongoing. "When a newspaper approached the PCB for comment last week, the PCB presented the facts which were, however, not reported accurately."