The newly introduced Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 has proposed a complete ban on real-money gaming, directly impacting several popular platforms.
Apps Likely to Be Impacted
The ban could affect the following real-money gaming apps and companies:
Dream11
My11Circle
Howzat
SG11 Fantasy
WinZO
Games24x7 (including RummyCircle)
Junglee Games (including Junglee Rummy and Junglee Poker)
PokerBaazi
GamesKraft/RummyCulture
MyTeam11
Nazara Technologies’ real-money gaming (RMG) ventures
Why the Government Introduced the Ban
According to lawmakers, the ban is aimed at addressing the growing social and financial harm caused by real-money gaming.
Though the industry is worth about $3.7 billion and contributes around ₹25,000 crore in FDI and taxes, the government stressed that users are collectively losing about ₹20,000 crore annually.
Authorities also accused many platforms of misleading users by promoting gambling under the label of “games of skill.”
The government stated that public interest and welfare were more important than industry profits.
Legal and Constitutional Issues Raised
Industry groups and legal experts argue that the bill does not differentiate between games of skill and games of chance, which is a key legal distinction protected under Article 19(1)(g) of the Indian Constitution. This distinction has been supported by multiple High Court rulings.
Critics believe the law is constitutionally weak and disregards past efforts to regulate the sector through self-regulatory bodies, which were quietly dropped.
Impact on the Industry
The proposed ban is expected to cause serious disruption in the real-money gaming industry, including:
Users may shift to unregulated, offshore or illegal platforms like matka operators
Investor confidence and capital inflow may drop significantly
IPO plans of profitable platforms like Dream11, WinZO, and GamesKraft could be put on hold
Change in Government Approach
This move reflects a major policy shift from earlier plans that aimed to regulate rather than ban online gaming.
Industry stakeholders have already sent formal objections and letters to the government, asking for balanced regulation that protects users while encouraging innovation and economic growth.
