India&rsquo;s biggest fantasy and card gaming platforms, including Dream11, Mobile Premier League (MPL), My11Circle, PokerBaazi and RummyCircle, are now staring at a major setback after the Rajya Sabha passed the Online Gaming Bill, 2025.
The new law bans real-money fantasy contests, poker, rummy and other pay-to-play apps, dealing a serious blow to India&rsquo;s $3.8 billion online gaming market. It also blocks advertisements and financial transactions linked to such platforms, citing concerns of addiction, mental health distress and financial losses.
Dream11, valued at around $8 billion and hugely popular during the Indian Premier League, along with MPL worth $2.5 billion, Games24x7 (operator of My11Circle and RummyCircle), Junglee Games, WinZO, Howzat, SG11 Fantasy, GamesKraft (RummyCulture) and PokerBaazi are among the companies directly impacted.
Even Nazara Technologies, which holds stakes in PokerBaazi, could feel the effects despite its smaller exposure to real-money gaming.
Industry bodies have raised alarm over the potential fallout, warning of nearly 200,000 job losses and a hit of Rs 25,000 crore in foreign investment, along with an estimated Rs 20,000 crore in tax revenues. Analysts also fear the ban could push around 45 crore Indian users toward offshore gaming websites operating outside the law.
Defending the bill, Union IT and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the measure was taken to safeguard families and youth from addiction, debt and fraud. He stressed that while online money games are prohibited, e-sports and casual social games will continue to be supported.
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, divides online play into three categories: e-sports, online social games, and money-based gaming. E-sports will now receive formal recognition and backing through government schemes, while money-driven gaming has been banned completely.
The legislation also calls for a central authority to regulate the sector, ensure compliance and promote innovation in non-monetary gaming categories.
With the approval of both Houses of Parliament, the bill will now be sent to the President for final assent before becoming law. [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]

Online Gaming Bill shakes Dream11, MPL future

Parliament clears bill banning real-money games, sparking crisis for $3.8 bn industry

Online Gaming Bill shakes Dream11, MPL future

Parliament clears bill banning real-money games, sparking crisis for $3.8 bn industry

August 22, 2025 | 01:31 IST