New Delhi: India’s real-money gaming industry has been hit hard after Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which bans all money-based online games and prescribes penalties of up to ₹1 crore and jail terms for violations.
Soon after the legislation was cleared, leading platforms including Mobile Premier League (MPL), Zupee, Dream Sports, Gameskraft, and Probo announced the suspension of their real-money offerings.
MPL, one of India’s largest gaming companies with over 120 million users, said it would immediately halt money-based games. “Effective immediately, we are suspending all gaming offerings involving money on the MPL platform in India. New deposits will no longer be accepted, but customers can withdraw their balances seamlessly,” the company said in a LinkedIn post.
Rival Zupee also confirmed it would discontinue paid games while continuing to offer free titles such as Ludo Supreme, Snakes & Ladders, and Trump Card Mania. “We remain committed to delivering fun, engaging, and responsible gaming experiences to our 150+ million users, for free,” a spokesperson said.
Fantasy sports giant Dream Sports suspended “Pay to Play” contests on its Dream Picks fantasy app and halted real-money services on Dream Play. The company said balances remain safe and can be withdrawn from its flagship Dream11 app.
Gameskraft, which operates popular rummy apps such as RummyCulture, also paused “Add Cash” and gameplay services while assuring users that their funds remain secure. Similarly, Probo announced it was shutting down real-money gaming operations “with immediate effect” in compliance with the new law.
The legislation, piloted by Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, was passed by Parliament on August 21, with the Rajya Sabha giving approval amid protests. The bill bans all forms of online money games, prohibits related advertisements, and bars banks and financial institutions from processing payments for such games.
While the move is expected to disrupt lakhs of players and trigger layoffs and funding cuts in the gaming industry, the government has emphasized that eSports and non-monetary skill-based games will continue to be encouraged as the sector’s future.
