PESHAWAR: On Wednesday, the Peshawar High Court directed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the State Bank of Pakistan to respond to a petition concerning the alleged sponsorship of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) by international betting firms and casinos through disguised advertisements.
In a hearing led by Justices Syed Mohammad Attique Shah and Dr. Khurshid Iqbal, a case was discussed involving resident Syed Tanseer Ahmad Sherazi. He requested the court to instruct the federal government to investigate the issue and prevent PSL teams from receiving sponsorships from casinos.
Additionally, Sherazi asked the court to impose a ban on specific casino mobile apps and betting site applications, as well as to guide the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to establish a comprehensive code of conduct for PSL events. The petitioner’s case was presented by lawyers Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel and Nouman Muhib Kakakhel.
It was mentioned that gambling is prohibited in Pakistan; however, the young generation has been attracted to betting through PSL sponsorships and having their names on team shirts. These surrogate companies operate by providing mobile phone betting applications for both Android and iOS users. People can easily fund their profiles using their bank accounts or microfinance services like Easy Paisa and Jazz Cash.
The betting companies have toll-line helplines in Pakistan to assist users in depositing money for betting on various sports events. Although these companies claim to be sports news and utility manufacturers, they allegedly serve as fronts for foreign gambling corporations with identical names and logos.
In addition, they presented certain State Bank of Pakistan documents, asserting that the bank had also raised concerns about the sponsorship. Jehanzeb Mehsud, the legal representative of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, submitted a complaint to the court, urging the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to act against such companies and halt their operations.
