Dream11 has withdrawn as the primary sponsor of the Indian cricket team following the passage of a new law banning real-money online gaming.
The move comes just days after Parliament approved the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which prohibits platforms like Dream11 from operating in their existing format.
The sponsorship deal, worth ₹358 crore and signed in 2023, was meant to run until 2026. Under the agreement, Dream11 paid ₹3 crore for every home match and ₹1 crore for each away game.
With a major tournament approaching, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now scrambling to find a new jersey sponsor in less than two weeks. A board official confirmed, “If it’s not permissible, we won’t do anything,” adding that fresh bids have been invited ahead of the 9 September deadline.
The new law, passed on 21 August, bans real-money games but makes exceptions for esports and casual social games. Within hours of its passage, leading platforms began shutting down their cash-based services.
Dream11, endorsed by cricket stars M.S. Dhoni and Rohit Sharma along with actor Kartik Aryan, posted a message on its website: “As per The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, cash games and contests have been discontinued on Dream11.”
Other operators followed suit. My11Circle, owned by Play Games24x7, said in a social media post that it was suspending real-money offerings.
Nazara Technologies also disclosed in a regulatory filing that Moonshine Technologies, operator of PokerBaazi, has halted all real-money operations. The filing stated, “Pursuant to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, passed by Parliament on 21 August 2025, and pending enactment, we wish to inform that, as a matter of abundant caution and in due respect of the government’s mandate, Moonshine Technologies Private Limited… has ceased offering real money online gaming operations.”
PokerBaazi assured its users on X, writing, “User funds remain completely safe and will be accessible for withdrawals.”
Meanwhile, WinZO said it was “responsibly withdrawing impacted offerings”, including rummy, poker, and fantasy cricket.
The government has positioned the new law as a consumer protection step against gambling risks while encouraging innovation in esports and casual gaming. But for fantasy sports and online card game platforms, it marks an abrupt halt to India’s booming real-money gaming industry.
