PHC asks PCB not to allow betting Cos to sponsor teams

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday disposed of a petition by directing the Pakistan Cricket Board not to allow any betting company to sponsor teams or put logos on the shirts of any national cricket player or a PSL club player.

A bench of Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Waqar Ahmad heard a petition filed by Syed Muhammad Tanseer Ahmad Sherazi. He had challenged the sponsorship of Pakistan Super League and PCB events by surrogate corporations of international betting companies/ casinos.

Advocate Nouman Muhib Kakakhel represented the petitioner.The counsels argued that betting/ gambling is prohibited in Pakistan, however, through these surrogate companies young generation is attracted by PSL sponsorships, by writing their names on the franchise’s shirts, to bet on cricket by using different mobile phone applications.

In these applications available for both Android and IOS users, Pakistanis can easily put money in their respective profiles from their bank accounts or microfinance companies like Easy Paisa & Jazz Cash and the amount is further used for betting.

The counsels argued that these betting companies have their helpline toll numbers in Pakistan as well who help you put money in your betting account to bet on various sports events.The court was told that these companies showed themselves to be sports news and Sports utilities manufacturer, etc but their products were not available or making enough profits as they were not focused, whereas, when they are searched on the internet, they are found to be surrogate companies of gambling foreign corporations, with an identical name and logo, etc.

Counsel representing Pakistan Cricket Board put forth certain documents and minutes of meetings that after the writ petition was filed, many meetings were held by PCB with other stakeholders, wherein it was prohibited that no surrogate corporations of gambling companies/ casinos will be allowed to sponsor any PSL team or the Pakistani Cricket National Team while it also identified the betting companies namely 1xBat and MelBAT et cetera by name.

The chief justice noticed that in one photo Pakistani cricketer Muhammad Rizwan had put a tape on the betting company name on his shirt while playing in PSL and also commented that even these superstar cricketers are not happy with these betting companies sponsoring them which is alarming.