What’s the Scoop on the Ban on Real Money Games?

REAL MONEY GAMES BANNED IN INDIA!

We Super Gamers Hub commends this decision taken by the Government of India, we had seen lot of peoples loosing money and thus life due to the real money games, several people keep on betting with the hope that they will be rich but they don’t have a chance against volume, bots and predatory practices of real money games, either the consumers themselves lack real skills which is necessary or they lack patience and thus get into a kind of betting addiction. Cases of suicide due to betting is rising. Also, government needs to ensure that masses don’t fall for illegal betting apps and touts and anti social elements taking advantage of this ban.

A sweeping new law is now in effect:

• The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, was passed by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on August 20–21, 2025, and received the President’s assent on August 22, becoming law.

What does it do?

• Bans all online games involving real money, regardless of whether they are games of skill (like fantasy sports, poker) or chance.
• Prohibits promotions and advertisements for such gaming platforms.
• Disallows banks and payment providers from processing transactions linked to these games.
• Introduces strict penalties, including fines up to ₹1 crore and up to 3 years in prison for hosting, and up to 2 years and ₹50 lakh for promoting such platforms.

Government’s rationale:

Citing growing financial harm, addiction, and psychological damage, the government—led by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw—framed the ban as a robust step to protect citizens.

Who’s Being Impacted?

Major companies halting real-money operations:

Dream11 (Dream Sports), Mobile Premier League (MPL), PokerBaazi (via Nazara’s Moonshine Technologies), Zupee, Probo, Gameskraft, WinZO, Games24x7, My11Circle, RummyCulture, RummyCircle, and many more have either suspended or shut down their real-money divisions.

• Dream11 paused all paid contests, which made up around 90% of its revenue.
• MPL, PokerBaazi, Zupee, Probo, Gameskraft, and others have also ceased such operations. MPL stopped accepting new deposits but allowed withdrawals.
• Zupee explicitly discontinued cash-based games like Ludo Supreme and Snakes & Ladders, but continues free-to-play options.
• WinZO, which earned ₹1,055 crore in FY24 and served 200 million users, is also affected.

Broader industry fallout:

• It’s estimated that 400–1,700 startups in the real-money gaming space could be impacted.
• The sector employs around 200,000 people, and contributes ₹20,000–25,000 crore in annual tax revenue along with significant foreign investment.

Market reaction:

• Nazara Technologies’ shares fell sharply—dropping over 15% in one session and 23% over two days—amid panic over its exposure through PokerBaazi.

Legal & industry pushback:

• Industry bodies (AIGF, EGF, FIFS) argue the blanket ban essentially “kills the industry” and pushes users to unsafe, offshore platforms.
• Many platforms are consulting with legal experts and may challenge the law in the Supreme Court, especially questioning why skill-based games are lumped in alongside chance-based betting.

Why It Matters