Published on: Aug 25, 2025 2:47 pm IST|Updated on: Aug 25, 2025 2:48 pm IST
The Indian government sent shockwaves through the country by taking a groundbreaking decision to ban real-money gaming platforms in the country. The apps that faced the wrath of the Indian government include market leader Dream11, followed by My11Circle, MPL, Vision11, and many others under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. While the move was intended to curb addiction, financial distress, and fraud, the decision has triggered people and segregated them into two separate groups, one backing the decision and the other against it.
Here are five adverse outcomes that could reshape India’s sporting and digital landscape:
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Fantasy cricket platforms are not just apps but a part of a multi-billion-dollar industry that supports over 200,000 jobs across tech, marketing, analytics, customer support, and influencer ecosystems. This ban has led to massive layoffs and frozen hiring.
This unexpected disruption undermines India’s digital economy narrative and threatens the very innovation hubs the government aims to promote.
Fantasy platforms have become major sponsors in Indian cricket, pumping nearly ₹1,000 crore into the sport annually. Not only in international cricket, but the domestic circuit of Indian cricket also gained massive traction courtesy of these apps. Dream11, for instance, was the title sponsor of Team India’s jersey until March 2026, while My11Circle held fantasy rights for the IPL.
After the ban:
This financial vacuum could slow down grassroots investments, reduce player earnings, and destabilize the commercial backbone of Indian cricket.
Over the past five years, fantasy cricket has seen ridiculous growth and has emerged as a thriving creator economy. From Telegram tipsters to YouTube analysts and blog writers, fantasy cricket was bread and butter for these people. With thousands of people curating a career out of fantasy cricket, this ban is nothing short of a bombshell for them.
With the ban:
This not only affects livelihoods but also silences a vibrant community that made cricket more interactive, analytical, and accessible to fans across India.
Fantasy cricket apps have been among the major guiding forces for sports viewership in India ever since their arrival. The concept revolutionized the way viewers used to watch matches, as it gave them freedom to analyze, strategize, predict, and compete in a safe environment. All this led to a boost in viewership and watch time.
However, with fantasy apps gone:
Fantasy sports bridged the gap between passive viewership and active participation. Its absence could flatten the strategic and emotional curve of fandom and reduce cricket’s digital footprint.
Fantasy cricket apps were not only casual fantasy games but also smart business ideas blended with sports, technology, and creativity. It was a vision backed by a great idea and resulted in generating numerous job opportunities in the country and attracting massive investments.
With this ban,
This regulatory overreach risks stifling creativity, deteriorating global capital, and weakening India’s position as a digital innovation hub.
While the intent behind the Online Gaming Bill is rooted in public welfare, its execution, via an outright ban, may do more harm than good. Instead of nurturing a safe, transparent, and regulated fantasy sports ecosystem, the government has chosen prohibition, risking:
A more balanced approach, like proper licensing, taxation, and a user safeguard approach, could have preserved the benefits while curbing the risks. As the country moves forward in a different direction, it will face a daunting challenge, i.e., to reconcile digital innovation with social responsibility, without sacrificing one for the other.