PHC orders PCB to ban betting company sponsorships for national and PSL teams

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday directed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to prohibit any sponsorship from betting companies, preventing them from displaying logos on the shirts of national cricket players or Pakistan Super League (PSL) club players.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Waqar Ahmad heard the petition filed by Syed Muhammad Tanseer Ahmad Sherazi. The petitioner challenged the PCB’s and PSL's sponsorship deals with surrogate corporations linked to international betting companies and casinos.

Advocate Nouman Muhib Kakakhel, representing the petitioner, argued that betting and gambling are illegal in Pakistan, yet these surrogate companies, through sponsorship deals, promote betting to the younger generation. He emphasized that these betting platforms, available on both Android and iOS, allow users to transfer funds easily through local financial services such as EasyPaisa and JazzCash, enabling betting on sports events.

The court was informed that these betting companies disguise themselves as sports news providers or utilities manufacturers, yet on deeper inspection, they are found to be fronts for international gambling operations.

PCB’s counsel presented documentation indicating that since the filing of the petition, the board held several meetings with stakeholders and banned sponsorships from surrogate companies. Betting companies like 1xBat and MelBAT were identified as offenders.

Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim further noted a concerning photo of cricketer Muhammad Rizwan playing in the PSL with tape covering a betting company’s logo on his shirt. The court expressed alarm over these incidents, stating that the discomfort expressed by national players with such sponsorships was troubling.