Highlights
- India's major online money gaming companies immediately suspended all paid gaming operations following passage of the new Online Gaming Bill 2025, which outlaws their core business model.
- The shutdown disrupts India's $2.4 billion gaming market where real-money gaming represented 86% of revenue, putting thousands of jobs at risk.
- Some companies are pivoting to less profitable free-to-play models as they scramble to restructure their businesses around the new regulations.
India's largest gaming companies have ceased their core operations this week, halting all online money gaming operations in response to the country's sweeping new online gaming legislation.
Dream11, Mobile Premier League, Gameskraft, Zupee and WinZO - platforms that collectively serve millions of Indian users - announced they were immediately suspending paid gaming features following passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025.
The companies moved with speed to comply with the new law, which effectively outlaws their primary business model. Within hours of the bill's passage, each platform issued statements confirming the suspension of cash deposits and paid contests while assuring users they could withdraw existing account balances.
"At MPL, we respect the rule of law and will comply fully with the ban on online money games in India," the company said in a statement, adding that it would pivot to free-to-play titles.
The immediate shutdown represents a seismic shift for India's digital entertainment landscape. Real-money gaming accounted for 86 percent of the country's $2.4 billion gaming market in 2024, making it the sector's primary revenue driver.
The halt puts tens of thousands of jobs at immediate risk across the industry and eliminates what had become one of India's fastest-growing digital sectors virtually overnight.
"In line with the new Online Gaming Bill 2025, we are discontinuing paid games, but our hugely popular free titles will continue to be available," a Zupee spokesperson said. Gameskraft similarly announced it was suspending cash deposit services as a "precautionary step."
The companies are now scrambling to restructure their business models around free-to-play games and social features — a far less lucrative approach that may struggle to sustain the industry's previous growth trajectory.
Despite the dramatic pivot away from its core business in India, MPL, which is backed by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India), expressed continued commitment to the Indian market.
"We continue to believe in the India growth story and reaffirm our long-term commitment to the country, including the vision of building from India for the world," the company stated.
The legislation draws a sharp distinction between what the government considers entertainment and gambling, effectively ending a regulatory gray area that had allowed online money gaming to flourish in recent years.
