ISLAMABAD: A formal complaint has been lodged with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCIAA) against a former Pakistan cricket captain, accusing him of promoting a surrogate betting and gambling platform.
NCCIA Additional Director Chaudhary Sarfaraz, when contacted, first told The News that the complaint was registered in Islamabad HQs and he was posted in Lahore, which made the issue out of his jurisdiction. When asked about the former captain’s active betting application promotions on social media, Chaudhry Sarfaraz said he would not answer any further question.
The News has also been contacting Syed Waqarud Din, Director General of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, for the past week, but he has not responded to questions pertaining to the former captain’s alleged involvement in gambling promotions despite repeated messages and calls from this correspondent.
Where NCCIA made headlines for taking action against social media influencers such as Ducky Bhai and Rajub Butt for promoting gambling in Pakistan, the watchdog seems not interested in making the former cricket star accountable for his active promotion of gambling applications.
The News tried every way to get views from NCCIA regarding the matter but the authority failed to cooperate.
According to the complaint, submitted by a Pakistani citizen, the former captain has been endorsing the betting platform since August 2024, and appearing in advertisements on social media, YouTube, and public billboards across major cities, including Lahore and Karachi.
Screenshots, cached posts, and photographs as proofs were attached to the complaint reportedly show him encouraging Pakistanis to register and gamble through the platform.
The complaint highlights that while many of the promotional posts have since been deleted, evidence of the association remains online and in physical advertisements. Videos of the cricketer promoting the betting platform are still accessible on YouTube, while billboards featuring his image have been photographed near Lahore’s Khokhar Chowk, Shaukat Khanum Hospital, and Jail Road–Shadman underpass.
The complainant stressed that gambling is prohibited under Pakistan’s constitution and Islamic law, and that platform is neither registered nor licensed to operate in the country. The government has previously issued multiple warnings through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) against such platforms.
The document further warns that illegal betting networks fuel money laundering, terrorism financing, and organised crimes, while normalising gambling among Pakistan’s youth. It adds that the cricketer’s stature as one of the country’s most celebrated sports icons amplifies the potential harm of such actions.
This correspondent is also cited in the complaint as having investigated the matter, reporting that the former captain declined to respond to repeated requests for comment before continuing his endorsements.
The complainant urged NCIAA to take decisive action against celebrities who promote such platforms, while also calling for greater accountability from regulators, including the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
