The upper house of the Indian parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which proposes a complete ban on real-money gaming while promoting casual online games and e-sports. The bill cleared the lower house a day earlier and now awaits presidential assent before becoming law. Major startups including Dream Sports, Mobile Premier League (MPL), Gameskraft, Probo, and Zupee began winding down real-money gaming operations and notifying employees and users. Dream Sports shut down its quick-play fantasy app Dream Picks and plans a full exit from real-money gaming once the law takes effect. Some firms had international expansion and partnership plans affected.
Top Indian startups in the real-money gaming space have begun shutting down operations after New Delhi effectively banned the sector through new legislation that's now on the verge of becoming law. On Thursday, the upper house of the Indian parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 - proposing to completely ban real-money gaming while aiming to promote casual online games and e-sports.
Shortly after the bill passed in the parliament, Indian unicorns Dream Sports and Mobile Premier League (MPL) - along with other startups like Gameskraft, Probo, and Zupee - began shutting down their real-money gaming operations. Some of these companies informed employees of their decision following the bill's passage in the lower house on Wednesday, while others began notifying users directly through their apps.
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