Dream11, My11Circle; what banning these platforms will cost to the industry, as Gaming Bill threatens around ₹25,000 crore investments

Platforms like Dream 11 and My11Circle will be prohibited and considered online gambling if the “Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025,” is passed in the parliament.

The bill, which was tabled in the Cabinet today, sets out to outlaw all money-based online games irrespective of whether they involve skill or chance.

Under the bill, platforms like Dream11, My11Circle, MPL, Winzo, GamesKraft, 99Games, KheloFantasy, Games24x7, Pokerbaazi, Rummy, and Parimatch will all be prohibited.

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About 4 lakh companies, 2 lakh jobs, investments worth Rs 25,000 crore, and annual GST collections of Rs 20,000 crore may be threatened, according to Industry experts, reported Times of India.

The country’s online gaming market is currently valued at $3.7 billion and is projected to more than double to $9.1 billion in 2029. However, 86 per cent of today’s revenue comes from real money format games.

Gaming executives expressed their concern, saying that the ban could be the death of the gaming industry. They say that they may have to shut down operations and may not have a clear of earning revenue if the law is passed.

The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), and the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) have written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asking for urgent intervention on the proposed Bill.

AIGF argued that if the bill is passed, crores of genuine gamers could be affected and would have to resort to illegal sites and gambling networks run by unregulated operators. “The bill, if enacted, will cause serious harm and drive players into the hands of fly-by-night operators,” the federation said.

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The gaming body stressed that instead of banning, the government should focus on progressive regulation. They said that a blanket ban would be a “death knell” for the industry and could affect millions of players and harm the sector.

One official from a leading company that operates in fantasy gaming, which involves real money play, said that the government had not engaged or consulted with the sector before proposing the bill.

Experts also said that fantasy gaming sponsorships play a major role in supporting domestic sports. State and city level T20 leagues depend on sponsorships from the real money gaming sector to survive. If the sector is hit, it could also weaken the talent pipeline for Indian cricket.

Many companies stressed that the big players in the gaming industry in India, who are regulated and funded through foreign direct investment, do not engage in illegal practices like betting, money laundering, and gambling. Dream11, Gameskraft, Games24x7, MPL, Nazara Technologies, Zupee, and WinZO are considered leading firms in the space.

 

India