Popular Bangladeshi Blogger Arrested for Promoting 1xBet on YouTube Channel

Bangladeshi police have arrested popular 21-year-old YouTuber Prottoy Heron and two of his accomplices. Local media reports suggest that the blogger has been charged with promoting online gambling. 

Specifically, Heron has been accused of promoting several foreign bookmakers, including 1xBet, BABU88, and Crickex. The advertisements for these betting brands were broadcasted on Heron’s YouTube channel (The Ajaira LTD) and other social media platforms. Notably, the YouTuber’s channel has more than 4.6 million subscribers.

According to reports, Bangladeshi police had been monitoring Heron and his associates for a year before the arrest was made.

This suggests that they have a substantial body of evidence for the criminal case against him.

It should be noted that gambling is illegal in Bangladesh, and advertising for gambling is also prohibited. Gambling companies have long accepted this fact and found a way to circumvent the restrictions. Bookmakers and casinos use surrogate advertising to promote their services instead of promoting their brand directly. For example, in Bangladesh, news portals Parimatch News and Betwinner News operate (in fact, they advertise bookmakers Parimatch and Betwinner).