A Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) investigation into an alleged online gambling network involving transactions worth Rs119.93 billion has raised serious questions about the monitoring of digital payment channels in Pakistan, including the verification of corporate accounts, oversight of payment intermediaries and possible involvement of insiders.
The case has emerged as Easypaisa Digital Bank reports substantial growth in revenue and profitability, highlighting the growing economic importance of digital financial services and the need to ensure that payment infrastructure is not exploited for illegal activities.
According to Local news Paper , the FIA’s Faisalabad circle registered a case against eight suspects after investigating alleged online gambling, suspicious financial transfers and possible digital hundi/hawala operations. The investigation identified 11 single-member companies with combined credit turnover of Rs119.93 billion.
Investigators also identified approximately Rs8.586 billion in transactions across five branchless banking collection accounts, involving around 10.49 million transactions. The case reportedly involves online platforms including U7777 Game, TD777, Game89, EPIWIN, B9 Game and S9 Game, with payments allegedly moving through bank accounts, mobile wallets and cryptocurrency channels.
The FIA has said that the role of officials from banks and other related institutions would be determined as the investigation progresses.
Allegations of insider assistance require accountability
A subsequent report by local news website alleged that individuals associated with the gambling network received assistance from certain Easypaisa officials in opening corporate accounts and connecting payment systems to offshore gambling platforms.
According to the report, the accounts were allegedly established between 2024 and 2025 under companies presented as legitimate e-commerce, construction or digital marketing businesses. Investigators are reported to have examined allegations involving fictitious company profiles, dummy websites and the movement of funds through multiple financial accounts.
local news website also reported alleged profit-sharing arrangements between members of the network. These claims, including allegations of insider involvement, require verification through the underlying investigation and court proceedings. No individual or institution should be declared guilty solely on the basis of allegations reported during an ongoing inquiry.
The case nevertheless raises a fundamental question for Pakistan’s financial sector: how could accounts allegedly registered for legitimate commercial activity be used to process payments connected with suspected illegal gambling, and were the required customer-verification and transaction-monitoring controls effective?
Easypaisa reports Rs46.67bn revenue in nine months
In a separate development, Easypaisa Digital Bank’s board approved its financial statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, according to Local News paper.
The bank reported total revenue of Rs46.67 billion, an increase of 38.53 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year. Profit before tax reached Rs13.30 billion, while profit after tax stood at Rs7.41 billion.
Fee-based income increased by 40.63 per cent, supported by growth in payment services, including online payments, collections, disbursements and insurance products. Customer deposits rose by 59.06 per cent year-on-year to Rs174.39 billion.
These figures demonstrate the bank’s expanding financial operations, but they do not establish any connection between its reported revenue and the alleged gambling network. There is currently no verified basis in the cited financial report for attributing the bank’s revenue growth to illegal transactions.
The financial performance and the criminal investigation should therefore be examined separately, while regulators assess whether payment providers have adequate safeguards against misuse.
What measures have authorities taken?
Pakistan already has regulatory and enforcement mechanisms intended to prevent financial crime, although the effectiveness of their implementation remains central to the present case.
The FIA has registered a case against eight suspects in the reported gambling investigation. Subsequent media reports have also described arrests and continuing efforts to identify other individuals allegedly connected with the network.
Separately, local news website reported in October that more than 100 aggregator accounts associated with JazzCash had been closed following FIA notices, while additional accounts were suspended during internal reviews. The report also referred to tighter scrutiny of payment intermediaries and aggregators under a regulatory framework introduced by the State Bank of Pakistan in May 2026.
The reported closures concern JazzCash accounts and should not be presented as evidence that Easypaisa has taken identical action. Similarly, the existence of regulatory rules does not, by itself, establish that all payment providers have complied with them.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has also reportedly blocked 46 illegal gambling and unregulated trading applications. Blocking applications may restrict access to identified platforms, but it cannot independently prevent payments through replacement websites, concealed merchant accounts or other financial channels.
A comprehensive response therefore requires coordination between the State Bank of Pakistan, FIA, PTA, financial institutions and other relevant authorities.
Stronger safeguards needed for digital transactions
Financial experts and policymakers should consider a more robust system of accountability for digital payments, particularly where businesses process large volumes of transactions through corporate wallets, aggregators and third-party payment gateways.
First, payment providers should conduct enhanced due diligence on corporate merchants, including verification of beneficial ownership, actual business operations, websites and the commercial purpose of payment integrations. A company registration certificate or functioning website alone should not be sufficient to establish that a business is legitimate.
Second, institutions should use risk-based transaction monitoring to identify unusual volumes, rapid transfers between linked accounts, activity inconsistent with a merchant’s declared business and repeated collections associated with suspected gambling platforms.
Third, regulators should require timely investigation of suspicious activity, appropriate reporting to the relevant authorities and prompt restrictions where legally justified. Independent compliance audits should examine whether warning signs were missed and whether internal procedures were followed.
Fourth, any evidence of employee collusion should trigger an independent investigation, preservation of transaction records, appropriate disciplinary measures and prosecution where evidence supports criminal charges. Senior management accountability should also be examined where systemic failures are established.
Fifth, authorities should publish periodic enforcement statistics, including the number of suspicious merchant accounts reviewed, accounts suspended or closed, cases referred for investigation and confirmed regulatory violations. Such disclosures should protect customer privacy and avoid compromising active investigations.
Finally, customers and legitimate businesses need accessible complaint channels and clear procedures for challenging mistaken account suspensions, reporting fraud and obtaining information about suspicious transactions.
A test for Pakistan’s digital economy
Pakistan’s shift towards digital payments offers considerable opportunities for financial inclusion, business growth and more efficient transactions. However, the expansion of digital financial services also increases the importance of effective supervision and internal controls.
The reported Rs119.93 billion turnover under investigation illustrates the scale of financial activity that authorities may need to examine when suspected illegal networks operate through multiple companies and payment channels. It does not mean that the entire amount has been proven to be gambling proceeds or that all of it was lost to financial crime.
The immediate priority should be to establish the complete money trail, determine whether any payment-provider employees or other individuals knowingly facilitated illegal transactions, and identify any weaknesses in account verification and transaction monitoring.
For Easypaisa and the wider digital payments industry, public confidence will depend not only on customer growth and financial results but also on demonstrable compliance, transparent investigations and effective safeguards against the misuse of payment infrastructure.
As Pakistan attracts further investment in fintech and digital commerce, regulators must ensure that the systems enabling legitimate transactions cannot be routinely exploited for unlawful financial activity. The outcome of the FIA investigation, together with transparent regulatory follow-up, will be an important test of that commitment.
 investigation into an alleged online gambling network involving transactions worth Rs119.93 billion has raised serious questions about the monitoring of digital payment channels in Pakistan, including the verification of corporate accounts, oversight of payment intermediaries and possible involvement of insiders.){kind=link}