The Indian Federal Parliament officially passed the "Online Gambling Promotion and Regulation Act of 2025" on August 22, which clearly defines "real money games" as any online activity where users pay fees, make deposits, or place bets in hopes of winning monetary returns, whether based on skill, luck, or both. This swiftly approved legislation immediately triggered major adjustments in the industry, with several well-known operators announcing a suspension of their related operations in India.
International gambling giant Flutter Entertainment has decided to withdraw its subsidiary Junglee Games' operations in India. The company criticized the government's legislative process as hasty and without sufficient consultation with the industry, and emphasized that Junglee has always been positioned as a social and skill-based game, fully compliant with previous legal requirements. Flutter CEO Peter Jackson expressed "extreme disappointment" with this sudden regulatory change and pointed out that Junglee has invested in building a team of over 1100 people in India over the past four years, focusing on localized skill game products.
Meanwhile, Mumbai-based fantasy sports operator Dream11 has also terminated its sponsorship agreement with the Indian national cricket team worth 3.58 billion rupees (approximately 35 million USD) and shut down its real money gaming business. The company had emphasized its "Made in India, Serve India" compliance philosophy on LinkedIn, and although it recognized that progressive regulation was more conducive to development, it still stated that it would fully comply with the new law.
According to reports, platforms such as My11Circle, Zupee, Gameskraft, Mobile Premier League (MPL), and Probo have also suspended their real money gaming services. At the same time, Indian law enforcement agencies have also conducted raids on some entities suspected of violations.
The government stated that the legislation aims to address the increasingly serious social issues of gambling addiction, fraud, and inconsistent state regulations. Federal Minister of Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized, "The government and parliament have a responsibility to take strict measures against recurring social maladies." This major ban is expected to profoundly change the landscape of the online gaming market in India.
