Who Is Worried About This Online Gaming Bill?

Modi government’s approval of the Online Gaming Bill 2025 has stirred intense debate across India. While the Bill is positioned as a step to curb gambling, fraud, and gaming addiction, many within the industry fear it could wipe out one of the country’s fastest-growing sectors.

At the heart of the concern is the Bill’s sweeping definition of real-money online gaming. Unlike earlier interpretations that separated skill-based games like rummy or fantasy sports from gambling, the proposed law lumps them all together. This means companies running popular platforms could suddenly find themselves under the same restrictions as illegal betting operators.

For businesses like Dream11, MPL, and RummyCircle, this represents an existential threat. Nearly 86 percent of the industry’s revenue comes from real-money formats. If the Bill bans or heavily regulates such games, the revenue pipeline would collapse. Industry associations warn that more than 2 lakh jobs could be lost, affecting engineers, designers, marketing professionals, and even small-scale entrepreneurs who depend on the ecosystem.

On the other side are consumer safety advocates who believe the Bill is necessary to protect vulnerable users, especially youngsters, from addiction and financial exploitation. But critics say a blanket ban will only push players to illegal and offshore betting sites, creating even bigger risks without oversight or taxation.

The biggest worry comes from startups, investors, and employees who see this Bill not as regulation, but as a potential death blow to India’s booming skill-gaming industry.