KATHMANDU: Two years ago, eight Nepali artists and YouTubers were arrested on charges of promoting illegal online betting platforms. Those detained included comedian Marichman Shrestha (Balchhi Dhurbe), Raju Paudel (Master), Pawan Khatiwada (Myakuri), whose real name is Roshan Khatiwada, Alish Rai, Jalan Gharti Magar, Ganesh Devkota, Saroj Ghimire, and Begam Nepali (Bhatbhate Maila).
After spending a few days in custody, the Kathmandu District Court released them on bail of Rs 5,000 each. Later, in the final verdict issued on February 11, 2025, the court ruled in their favour, noting that the advertisement had been immediately removed before it could have any social impact or influence. Although they were cleared at that time after withdrawing the ad, actor Pawan Khatiwada and others have once again appeared promoting online betting.
Previously, they would include 20-second clips before their video content to encourage viewers to join these betting sites. Recently, however, they have started embedding promo codes and betting links in their video descriptions.
Every video posted on Khatiwada’s YouTube channel, The PK Vines, has a description promoting 1XBet through its surrogate site 1xbatsporting.com, which is described as “Nepal’s registered and legal sports news site (only for news).
Surrogate advertising is a form of advertising which is used to promote products that are banned under government regulations.
Other influencers, including Ganesh Devkota, Jalan Gharti Magar, and Kushal Pokharel, are promoting the same site using similar tactics.
Comedian Sajan Shrestha has also joined the trend. In one of the videos posted on his official YouTube channel, a 15-second promotional clip urges viewers to “download the 1xBat app for instant sports news” and claims users can receive rewards by entering the promo code “Sajan”.
However, the website lacks registration details, an address, or any disclosure of its operators. Even the sports news it claims to provide has not been updated.
When arrested earlier, all the artists, including Khatiwada, had told the District Government Attorney’s Office that they were unaware the site was a betting platform and insisted they never encouraged gambling. At that time, they were promoting a site called “1xBet” — which now appears under a slightly altered name, “1xBat”, clearly a surrogate advertising.
Pawan Khatiwada did not receive this scribe’s call for comment. Sajan Shrestha picked up the call but hung up, saying that he was busy.
The scope of illegal online betting promotion extends further. Another platform named “Khalti88”, resembling the popular digital wallet Khalti, has also been running betting operations.
Although Nepal’s laws prohibit all forms of gambling and betting, such websites continue to attract large numbers of users and operate illegally. These platforms offer casino, sports betting, and esports gambling services. Several social media influencers have been found promoting them.
TikToker Anu Pariyar posted a video wearing a Khalti88 T-shirt, encouraging viewers to gamble. Similarly, vloggers Bibhjang Thapa (MRB Vlogs) and Rajkumar Thapa have also been found advertising betting platforms.
Under the Advertisement (Regulation) Act, 2019, promoting gambling or any lottery not licensed under existing law is strictly prohibited. Violators may face up to one year in jail or a fine of Rs 10,000.
DIG Abhi Narayan Kafle, spokesperson for the Nepal Police, said its Cyber Bureau is currently investigating online betting activities based on complaints filed by victims. “Gambling is illegal in Nepal, and anyone involved in playing, organizing, or promoting it will face legal action,” he said, adding that the police have been raising public awareness through social media and community policing networks to prevent people from being deceived.
