In a surprising turn of events, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced yesterday that the team sponsor for the Sri Lankan men's cricket team in the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2023 is a company known as 1XBAT. However, as the news spread, questions arose about the true nature of this sponsorship and the company itself.

Many cricket enthusiasts were left puzzled as they searched for information about 1XBAT, a company that seemed unfamiliar in the world of sports sponsorships. Upon closer examination, it became evident that 1XBAT bore a striking resemblance to the well-known sports betting platform, 1XBET.The mystery deepened as it appeared that SLC might be employing a controversial marketing tactic known as "surrogate marketing." This strategy involves promoting a banned or restricted product indirectly by advertising a similar, unrestricted product. The purpose? To create brand awareness and association for the restricted product without openly endorsing it.

Some critics suggest that SLC may be exploiting a legal loophole to indirectly promote an entity that lures thousands of Sri Lankans into sports betting. They argue that 1XBET could be profiting from this arrangement while possibly evading the 40% gaming and gambling tax imposed in Sri Lanka.

There are suspicions that, in case of scrutiny or if 1XBET engages in questionable activities, SLC could deflect legal liability by claiming that the sponsorship came from 1XBATsporting[.]com, a seemingly innocuous sports news site. In reality, some believe that this website might be a front, strategically designed to channel users toward the 1XBET betting platform.