Fact Check: Video Of Virat Kohli Edited Using Deepfake Audio To Promote Illegal Betting Site
A video clip featuring Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is circulating on social media, allegedly showing him promoting a betting platform.
The Verdict [Fake]
The original video shows cricketer Virat Kohli discussing the impact of his father’s death and how meeting his wife, Anushka Sharma, changed his life.
What is the claim?
A video clip featuring Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is circulating on social media, allegedly showing him promoting a betting platform. In the clip, Kohli appears to claim during a podcast that playing on a betting website called “Unicon365” changed his life. The host, Indian comedian and TV personality Danish Sait, asks Kohli, “Would you like to share a moment when you thought your life had changed?” Kohli reportedly replies, “I would say a life-changing moment would be when I started playing Unicon365. It’s an incredible platform for making money. I have earned crores by betting on cricket and other sports. Thanks to Unicon, I even bought my first Audi with that money. It was truly a life-changing experience for me.
The caption of the video reads: “✅ 5% Bonus on Every Deposit ✅ Rs.100 Min ID ✅ Multiple Payment Gateways, 1M+ Users.” The video was also shared on Instagram. Archived versions of the posts can be accessed here and here.
However, this claim is false. Deepfake audio has been added to the viral footage. The original video is from a Royal Challengers Bangalore podcast, where Kohli was actually discussing his relationship with his wife, Anushka Sharma.
How did we find the truth?
We noticed that both the host and Kohli were wearing clothing featuring the logo of the Indian Premier League team Royal Challengers Bangalore. Following this lead, we found the original video (archived here) on YouTube, published by the Royal Challengers Bangalore channel in 2023. RCB publishes podcasts featuring various cricketers and coaching staff; this video is one such podcast with the former team captain.
The original podcast runs 46 minutes and 20 seconds; the viral clip was taken between 43:36 and 44:41. Deepfake audio was then added to make it seem as if Kohli claimed that playing on “Unicon365” changed his life.
In the original video, Sait asks, “Would you like to share a moment when you thought your life had changed?” Kohli responds by discussing his father's death, stating, "I would say a life-changing moment would be when I met Anushka." He does not mention a betting app.
Only Sait’s question and Kohli’s response, “I would say a life-changing moment would be when…” were taken from the original video. The rest of Kohli’s remarks have been overlaid onto the video using deepfake audio. Although the voice in the latter part of the video resembles Kohli’s, it sounds unnatural and robotic, lacking the pauses typical in speech, indicating it was likely created using artificial intelligence.
We also checked news reports and Kohli's social media accounts and found no evidence of such an endorsement.
Is Unicon365 a legal entity in India?
The Constitution of India empowers state governments to legislate on gambling and betting under the Seventh Schedule, List II. The central law prior to independence was the Public Gambling Act of 1867, which prohibited games of chance and the operation of gaming houses while allowing lotteries and excluding “games of skill," which are protected by a 1996 Supreme Court ruling.
In 2022, the Supreme Court recognized fantasy sports as games of skill; however, this classification does not extend to betting on live sports, which qualify as games of chance and are illegal in India. In fact, in 2023, the Indian government banned 22 such illegal betting and gambling websites.
The website Unicon365 claims it is certified by eCOGRA, a London-based testing agency and standards organization in online gambling. However, the agency does not operate in India.
The verdict
A video of Virat Kohli, altered with deepfake audio, is being shared to mislead users into believing that he has endorsed an illegal betting platform named Unicon365.
(This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. ABP Live has edited the headline and feature image of the report while republishing)
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