Online Gaming Banned: Dream 11 to shut operations?

It is already known that the central cabinet had proposed the bill in the Parliament to ban the online gaming culture in India. This was passed in the Parliament, and this principle means that online gaming platforms are instructed to shut down operations.

India has recently passed the Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which bans all online games played with real money. This includes fantasy sports, poker, rummy, and similar platforms. Anyone running such games could face penalties of up to ₹1 crore and even three years in jail.

This decision has created a major challenge for Dream11, one of India’s largest fantasy sports platforms, valued at nearly $8 billion. Reports suggest that the company’s parent, Dream Sports, has decided to close down its real-money gaming business, which currently makes up almost 90% of its revenue. The news was shared with employees during a town hall meeting on August 20, 2025.

With this change, Dream Sports plans to focus on other ventures that do not involve money-based gaming. These include FanCode, DreamSetGo, Dream Game Studios, Cricbuzz, and Willow TV. The company will also look at expanding into international markets where fantasy sports with monetary rewards are still allowed.

However, this sudden shift is expected to cause major job losses and cost-cutting within the company. Since real-money gaming was its biggest source of income, shutting it down will have a large financial impact. The new law is now awaiting the President’s approval, which is considered a formality.