Online Gaming Bill Clears Parliament: Dream11, MPL & Fantasy Apps Face Uncertain Future

The Online Gaming Bill, 2025 which made money-based fantasy apps, poker, rummy among other games illegal was cleared in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, a major setback to the Indian gaming industry, which has seen its harvests rise over 50 percent to $3.8 billion in the last five years.

What is prohibited by the bill is the use of real-money gaming services without having harmful affect, related advertisements, and associated financial transactions, as the government indicates the dangers of psychological distress and the loss of finances.

Although it is not yet clear what apps will be immediately affected, the move poses a threat to the Indian gaming industry, one that has attracted global investors and led to homegrown fantasy games like Dream11, Games24x7 and Mobile Premier League, Bloomberg reported.

The Online Gaming Bill was also passed in the Lok Sabha where no debate was allowed and the Opposition members protested raising slogans demanding debarring a discussion on special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar by the Election Commission.

An online form of money game is where an individual invests money in the hope of winning monetary and other forms of enrichment.

The endorsement of real money gaming apps by top cricketers and film stars has triggered the interest in fantasy sports betting games by Dream11, Games24X7 and Mobile Premier league.

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Indian applications that will likely be affected by Online Gaming Bill 2025

Dream11: Dream11 has a valuation of 8 billion dollars. In fantasy cricket formats in Dream11, users may pay only 8 Indian rupees (10 US cents) to create their team with a cricket game score ending prize pool 1.2 million Indian rupees (14000 US dollars). The app is more popular at the time of Indian premier league.

Mobile Premier League: MPL is estimated to worth $2.5 billion, according to PitchBook figures.

Other apps likely to be impacted

• My11Circle
• Howzat
• SG11 Fantasy
• WinZO
• Games24x7 (parent of My11Circle and RummyCircle)
• Junglee Games (covers Rummy & Poker)
• PokerBaazi
• GamesKraft (also known as RummyCulture)
• Nazara Technologies (investor in PokerBaazi, though its direct RMG revenue is minimal)

Bloomberg News quoted Dream11 and Mobile Premier league as having declined a request to comment.

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Why has government introduced the bill?

Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union minister of electronics and information technology, said that online money gaming has emerged as an eminent social health concern as society and the government have seen a very valuable adverse effect of online money gaming.

"Our endeavour is to promote eSports and social gaming, online social gaming, and we would like India to become a game-making hub. For that, a lot of efforts are already being made," he said.

Digital technologies so far have produced online gaming that has become a significant secto having three key segments as has been asserted by the minister.

"Two segments, eSports and online social gaming, are good for society. We are promoting two out of three segments... These two will get legal recognition and they will be promoted. And this bill will create an authority which basically creates programs and schemes which promote eSports and online social gaming," Vaishnaw said.

The third segment, online money gaming, is harming the society, he says adding that is has become a significant social and a health concern.

The senior official added that there has been a realisation to treat online gaming as the big problem to society. The official said that the government resolved to keep the interest of people above revenue loss due to its ban.

Is it punishable by the new law?

Yes, it is now illegal to promote or otherwise assist in online money gaming with consent of both houses of Parliament offering or facilitating online money gaming will be punishable by up to three years imprisonment or with or without fine of up to 1 crore rupees.

The other prohibitions identified in the bill are to stop advertising any online money games and also transferring of funds to any such games by banks and other financial institutions.

Promoting money games through advertisement carries a jail term of up to 2 years and/or a monetary slap of 50 lakhs. Holding financial transactions related to money games could cause time imprisonment up to three years and/or fines up to 1 crore.

Repeat violations will come with increased punishment such as 3-5 years imprisonment and a communal which will reach 2 crore.

In key sections, offences are sought to be made non-bailable and cognizeable.

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