India’s Parliament Passes Ban on Online Gambling industry

By Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1454 EAT on Friday 22 August 2025

India’s parliament has passed a landmark bill banning online gambling, following government data that revealed companies were extracting $2.3 billion annually from an estimated 450 million users.

The ban targets platforms offering card games, poker, and fantasy sports — including India’s hugely popular homegrown fantasy cricket apps, which have seen explosive growth in recent years.

India’s sweeping ban on online gambling has raised questions about the future of Dream11, the country’s largest fantasy sports platform and the lead sponsor of the national cricket team.

Dream11 was named Team India’s principal sponsor in July 2023 under a three-year deal, with its logo prominently featured on national jerseys. However, no statement has yet been issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the company’s status following the new legislation.

“If it’s not permissible, we’ll not do anything,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said on Friday. “The BCCI will follow every policy of the country that is framed by the central government.”

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, passed by both houses of Parliament late Thursday, criminalises the offering, promotion, and financing of online gambling platforms. Offenders could face up to five years in prison.

In response, Dream11 said in a statement on Friday that “cash games and contests have been discontinued” following the bill’s passage, while encouraging users to “stay tuned.”

Other fantasy sports and gaming platforms remained live as of Friday, with the bill still awaiting formal ratification by the president before it becomes law.

A government statement said the legislation is aimed at curbing “addiction, financial ruin, and social distress caused by predatory gaming platforms that thrive on misleading promises of quick wealth.”

India’s broader gaming industry is among the largest in the world, but the new law makes key exceptions for e-sports and educational games, which the government says it will promote as part of its push to grow the digital economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has defended India’s sweeping new ban on online gambling, saying it will “encourage e-sports and online social games” while protecting society from the “harmful effects of online money games.”

The government says nearly one-third of India’s population — in the world’s most populous country — has lost money through online gambling, prompting urgent calls for action.

While industry groups had urged regulation and taxation over an outright ban — warning it could push users toward unregulated offshore platforms — supporters of the bill argued that the social and financial costs were too high to ignore.

Officials cited growing concerns over addiction, financial distress, and suicides linked to the rapid expansion of online betting platforms. They also warned of links to fraud, money laundering, and terrorism financing.

Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the law makes a clear distinction between online gambling and social or educational gaming, noting that e-sports — defined as organised competitive video games — will continue to be encouraged.

A government briefing stated the new law aims to “clearly separate constructive digital recreation from betting, gambling, and fantasy money games that exploit users with false promises of profit.”

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