The Lok Sabha has passed the Online Gaming Bill 2025, which could impact the financial scenario of sports in India, especially cricket.
Nowadays, Cricket has flourished and benefited from the sponsorships of these online gaming platforms.
The Bill has been brought to ban online money games, also to control the social, financial, and public health harms related to such platforms while encouraging eSports and social gaming.
The bill outlines the creation of a regulatory body to oversee four segments of the industry—eSports, educational gaming, social and casual gaming, and real money gaming. Among these, real money gaming faces strict restrictions.
According to the prohibitions listed in the bill, “No person shall offer, aid, abet, induce or otherwise indulge or engage in the offering of online money game and online money gaming service. No bank, financial institution, or any other person facilitating financial transactions or authorisation of funds shall engage in, permit, aid, abet, induce or otherwise facilitate any transaction or authorisation of funds towards payment for any online money gaming service.”
Cricket has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of fantasy gaming platforms. Dream11, for instance, secured the Indian team’s title sponsorship for about USD 44 million (₹358 crore approx), while My11Circle bought the Indian Premier League’s fantasy gaming rights for ₹625 crore over five years. In addition, several current and former players have personal endorsement deals with such companies.
Noted sports lawyer Vidushpat Singhania explained the potential fallout: “Cricket is huge in India and there won’t be any dearth of sponsors for Indian cricket and its properties. However, personal sponsorship market can shrink because of this bill. Also fan engagement will be affected.”
Singhania added that fantasy gaming could still operate under a subscription model, where users pay a fixed fee to participate without the lure of direct monetary returns. Still, the gigantic revenue stream for these platforms will shrink significantly, impacting the flow of money back into cricket and other sports.
The offences section is equally stringent, with punishments including jail terms and heavy fines. For instance, offering an online money gaming service in violation of the bill can attract up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to ₹1 crore, or both. Advertising such services could result in up to two years in prison or a fine of ₹50 lakh.
The government has justified its tough stance, stating that real money gaming has proliferated rapidly, exploiting mobile and internet access to lure users with monetary rewards. The bill highlights that these games often use “manipulative design features, addictive algorithms, bots and undisclosed agents” that promote compulsive behaviour and financial ruin, especially among the youth and economically vulnerable sections.
While the bill poses challenges for fantasy gaming, it brings opportunities for eSports, which has been gaining recognition globally. After debuting at the Asian Games in 2023, eSports is set to feature in the International Olympic Committee’s first Esports Olympics in Riyadh in 2027.
Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming, welcomed the move, saying, “The government’s intent to recognise and promote esports, as highlighted in the recent bill, is an encouraging step towards building a structured and globally competitive ecosystem. However, for this vision to truly materialise, it is critical that the terminology used in the bill, particularly the distinctions between esports, online gaming, online social gaming, and online money gaming be clearly defined and uniformly understood.”
The legislation, thus, marks a turning point—tightening the reins on real money gaming while opening new avenues for eSports to flourish in India.
