The recent announcement by the Indian government has thrown a huge bombshell on the rise of the online gaming industry, which involves real-money contests. On Wednesday (August 20), the Lok Sabha introduced the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025.
This legislation affects India’s most reputed fantasy sports platforms, like Dream11, which was named the Indian men’s cricket team’s core sponsor in July 2023 for a three-year term.
A ban on real-money gaming contests will not have an impact on sponsorship dynamics or the fantasy sports industry, but it also influences the engagement rate of millions of cricket fans.
Apart from Dream11, other startups like Hike (Rush), Zupee, PokerBaazi, Probo, My11Circle, WinZO, Mobile Premier League (MPL), and several others faced disruptions as their real-money gaming operations were getting paused.
Here are the possible ways that indicate how the ban on real-money gaming apps could affect the cricket fandom in India.
1. Reduced Engagement Rate of Fans and Their Participation
It’s not just about Dream11, but also the other similar fantasy platforms that attracted people to win real money by making them more engaged in the sport. Fans used to win lucrative cash rewards by developing their own fantasy teams and actively participating in the contests.
Now that the Indian government has banned the fantasy games that pay real money, fans will lose a huge chunk of profit. In other words, the engagement rate of cricket fans will witness a massive dip, and they won’t be involved in watching live matches like they were used to.
So, the viewership count and the hype surrounding the world’s most popular tournaments, like the Indian Premier League (IPL), would certainly get lower than ever before.
Even if the money-based games get replaced with free (non-monetary) or subscription-based contests, fans would certainly miss the exciting feel. To explain in simple terms, without the chance to win monetary rewards, fans’ enthusiasm levels will be totally dampened, or they will lose interest in the sport.
2. An Abrupt Transition in Cricket Content Creation
Earlier, the fantasy sports platforms served as a boon for content creators to cover in-depth discussions about cricket, which included match predictions and analysis. Also, the sessions and fantasy tips from the experts in the sport provided valuable suggestions to better the team’s strengths and overcome weaknesses.
However, the recent ban on real-money games has diminished the online active discussions about the sport. As a consequence, cricket fans might simply stop playing strategy contests and opt to just watch matches. This could impact the fans’ opinions and their chats with others.
3. Less Support for Local and New Sports
Previously, the leading fantasy sports sponsors like Dream11 not only operated games, but also funded the small-scale cricket leagues, rising sports events, and the development programs to nurture young players.
Especially, such real money gaming apps were promoted by the famous cricketers and celebrities, whose stardom bolstered the trust among the users.
Furthermore, the growth of the fantasy sports platforms accelerated because of the increased number of smartphones at an affordable price range and wide access to high-speed internet throughout India.
The revenue earned from these platforms indirectly played a vital role in promoting cricket and organizing grassroots-level tournaments in different states.
But the recent ban disrupted the smooth flow of funds, thereby threatening to hamper the growth of young talents and negatively impacting the future of the sport and the diversity of cricket fans across the nation.
4. Strict Penalties on Users
As per the new laws, an individual might face a strict penalty for indulging in any online games that pay cash rewards. Any violation of the law will impose a severe punishment of two years’ imprisonment and INR 1 crore. The same applies to violating the advertising law, but includes a fine of INR 50 lakh along with two years ‘jail.
Most importantly, the fantasy sports companies clarified that new deposits will no longer be accepted. However, users might be able to withdraw their existing funds without any hassle.
Overall Facts: Ban on Dream11
According to the records updated till 2024, there were nearly 490 million users, out of which 155 million of them were regular participants of the real-money contests that not only include fantasy sports, but also other games like rummy and poker.
As the sudden effect is expected to mold the cricket fandom in deeper ways, the Indian government signalled the heavy risks of financial losses incurred by the users.
To prevent the possible chances of getting affected psychologically and financially, the Ministry of Electronics and IT considered this move a big welfare for the public, citing the increased addiction to such apps.
Also, several youngsters faced monetary setbacks, and there were rising cases of fraudulent activities to attract users with the easy-to-use interface and well-designed features.
Therefore, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha cleared the Online Gaming Bill, 2025, and a law has been passed to ban all sorts of online wagering games in India.