In a damning reflection of Pakistan’s ongoing struggle with illegal activities during major sporting events, Pakistan Police have arrested a staggering 1,326 individuals this year alone in connection with gambling and online betting around the Pakistan Super League.
The sheer scale of the arrests, originating from just one city, highlights the rampant nature of the problem and raises serious questions during the ongoing PSL 2025.
According to a statement issued by the Lahore Police spokesman, 319 FIRs have been registered across different police stations. Furthermore, more than Rs 7.248 million were recovered from the accused – a small fraction of the massive underground betting economy that thrives during Pakistan’s premier T20 event.
Lahore Arrests
There have been over a thousand arrests from the solitary city of Lahore, which further portrays a picture of the ravaging condition on the other side of the border.
City Division: 448 arrests
Cantonment: 302 arrests
Civil Lines: 186 arrests
Saddar: 103 arrests
Iqbal Town: 155 arrests
Model Town: 132 arrests
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana, while stressing that aggressive operations are ongoing, admitted that the task remains formidable. He has ordered an intensification of intelligence-led raids and urged to curb online betting through modern measures. Amid the ongoing PSL 2025, the illegal activities have increased manyfold, which is a serious concern.
No PSL 2025 Fantasy in India
While Pakistan struggle to control their illegal betting market, Indian fantasy platform Dream11 has taken a strict decision after the Pahalgam terrorist attack. As 26 Indian tourists and locals were killed by a Pakistan-fed Terrorist group, the Indian government has taken many strong steps against Pakistan. Dream11, the premier destination for fantasy sports, has also removed all PSL-related contents overnight from their platform. Apart from that, Fancode, the platform which was providing live stream for PSL 2025, has also stopped their coverage.