Looking Back on India’s Online Real Money Games Ban

A month on from India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, and the iGaming scene in the country is preparing for a massive shakeup. The ruling has seen key operators like Dream11, PokerBaazi, Probo, and Zupee, among others, withdraw their services and close shop. The fallout has already impacted sectors outside iGaming, as Dream11 ended its sponsorship with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and the MPL is projected to cut staff by 60%.

The broader implications of the market, figures for which are not readily available yet, could see more players take their business to offshore and unregulated gambling sites. India’s online gambling market, prior to the outright ban, was estimated to be worth US$3.6 billion. And now, banks and payment providers could face fines of up to US$113,000 and even up to 3 years imprisonment for facilitating (now) illegal cash games.

How India Banned Real Money iGaming

The real shocker came from how fast the ban rolled out. Early in August, lawmakers proposed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill. The bill carried full penalties for operators and outlawed all “real money games.” On August 20, the Lok Sabha introduced the legislation in the lower house of Parliament. The Rajya Sabha approved the bill the very next day. President Droupadi Murmu signed it into law on August 22. The entire process took just three weeks from start to finish.

Already, on August 21 the major operators shut down their services or suspended their paid game operators. Dream11, MPL, Zupee, and Probo all went quiet, and barely a week later, Dream Sports (Dream11) reported a 95% drop in group revenue. For players, the servers suddenly went quiet, and app stores removed these platforms practically overnight.

What Games Are Targeted

The ban effectively targets online money games. These are defined by the authorities as games that are not eSports or social games, but are:

This segment involves games where financial stakes are involved, whether based on chance, skill, or a combination of both. These platforms have raised serious concerns due to reports of addiction, financial losses, money laundering, and even cases of suicide linked to heavy monetary losses.

Needless to say, the definition is vague and does not mention casinos, cards, or any devices used in the games themselves. There was no further definition of what these real money games constitute. Just that they will be banned, and the authority cited gambling addiction and harm as the primary cause of concern.

So then the ban becomes a blanket one. All types of real money games are affected and fall under its definition. That means, all forms of online casino games and the skill based games like poker. Even fantasy sports games, which are somewhat of a sore point. As they are massively popular in India.

Who Was Affected by the Online Gaming Bill

The areas hit hardest by these developments are India’s fantasy sports operators, as well as rummy and poker operations. Despite years of lobbying to be formally recognised as games of skill, the operators find themselves now locked out of the Indian market.

Dream11 was one of the biggest fantasy sports operators, with over 200 million registered players in India. The operator was founded in 2008, and by 2025, it had formed partnerships with the International Cricket Council, Pro Kabaddi League, and International Hockey Federation. In 2023, Dream11 became the lead jersey sponsor for the Indian National Cricket Team. The sponsorship was rescinded after the Online Gaming Act was signed into law.

India has also long had a fascination with card games, with online rummy being among the most popular. Platforms like RummyCircle and Ace2Three were extremely popular until the ban was put in place. And India also had a huge appetite for poker games, with steady growth through platforms like PokerBaazi, Adda52 and Spartan Poker. While fantasy sports had a far larger mainstream appeal, games like poker had a larger base among younger gamers looking for skill driven gameplay.

These platforms all withdrew and shut down their operations, some of which had run for a good 10+ years, all in the space of days. Beyond operators, the ban has also hit teams sponsored by these platforms, as well as workers in tech, payment providers, marketing, and support functions.

Legal Challenges to the New Legislation

In the wake of India’s new Online Gaming Bill, there has been a pushback from players and industry groups. Petitions were filed to challenge the blanket ban, and to clarify the definition of real money games. In September, the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the petitions to itself. Originally, they were made to the high courts in Delhi, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Another interesting aspect is that the industry groups have questioned whether the central government overstepped its authority in passing the bill.

Because in India, the gambling regulation has traditionally been a state subject. The Indian states have the autonomy to legislate gambling within their own territories. Therefore, the legislation passed in Parliament was contentious and could be seen as the government infringing state laws.

Future of the Indian iGaming Industry

Though the government has other plans. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming also establishes a National Online Gaming Commission. This will act as the authority in India, which will be in charge of licensing online gaming platforms. That is, the ones that don’t have real money gaming.

Also, regulators are looking to block transactions linked to online gambling, and put pressure on app marketplaces to remove the, now, illegal real money games. The Ministry of Finance is reportedly looking into stricter enforcement frameworks, with tighter KYC checks and payment blocking.

Though there are concerns that this aggressive restructuring could have a hugely unwanted knock-on effect. In that it may guide players towards the unregulated market. Illegal gambling is nothing new in India, and with offshore sports betting operators, poker dens, and even underground matka gambling. But this sudden void, left by the US$3.6 billion industry, is no small gap for niche gamers or players. It is now the only way these gamers can realistically play rummy, poker, or build their fantasy lineups.

The battle is not yet over for India’s gamers and fantasy sports fans. Though it may take a while for the pushback to amount to any tangible results. For the operators like Dream11 and so on, they may well have to take their business abroad and leave the blocked-out market in India.