NEW DELHI: India’s sweeping ban on online gambling has shut down a billion-dollar industry, stripped sponsorship from its national cricket team, and disrupted a pastime enjoyed by hundreds of millions. But gamblers say the move will only push them toward offshore and unregulated websites.
Parliament passed the legislation last month, outlawing online card games and fantasy sports, including fantasy cricket, one of the country’s most popular digital pastimes. Lawmakers cited government figures showing platforms were extracting nearly $2.3 billion annually from 450 million people. Officials warned of rampant addiction, financial ruin, suicides, and links to fraud, money laundering, and even terror financing. Offenders now face up to five years in prison.
Yet for many, the crackdown is unlikely to stop the habit.
“A habit once formed cannot be broken easily,” said Adarsh Sharma, an advertising professional who regularly played fantasy sports. “It is an addiction and people will find ways to gamble. Offshore sites will see a sudden boom.”
India’s online gamblers are expected to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to disguise their location and proxy credit cards to place bets. While cumbersome for the average user, veteran players are confident they can dodge the restrictions.
“We have done this before and will do it again,” one fan told AFP, requesting anonymity. “We will go back to our old ways of making money.”
The ban has also sent shockwaves through India’s sporting ecosystem.
Dream11, the world’s largest fantasy sports platform with 260 million users, announced it was suspending cash contests. The company now offers prizes such as cars, phones, and refrigerators instead.
More dramatically, Dream11 pulled out of a $43 million sponsorship deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Its logo, once emblazoned across the Indian cricket team’s jerseys, has disappeared.
“We play it for the love of cricket,” said Jamshed Noor, a butcher in Delhi who once won 600 rupees (about $7), roughly equivalent to a day’s wage for a laborer. “Money was definitely an attraction, but I still play, despite money being off the table now.”
The shake-up threatens revenue streams for the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of the world’s richest cricket tournaments. Fantasy platforms have been among the most aggressive advertisers in cricket.
“Fantasy platforms are the most aggressive advertisers in IPL and world cricket,” said Karan Taurani, an analyst with Elara Capital. “They will now likely explore the overseas market.”
Industry experts estimate fantasy sports and cryptocurrency companies accounted for up to 40 percent of IPL broadcaster ad revenues this year.
“The fantasy guys will obviously reduce their ad spends because their business model is at stake, or actually destroyed due to the ban,” said Santosh N. of D and P Advisory. “That will impact the revenue of the broadcasters, meaning less cash for the league.”
When the BCCI renegotiates its media rights in 2027, he added, the board could face lower bids as broadcasters recalibrate their budgets.
Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw defended the law, arguing it distinguishes between legitimate eSports and exploitative gambling apps.
The government says eSports, considered skill-based and not involving cash wagers, will remain legal. But critics warn that by conflating fantasy sports with gambling, the ban undermines innovation in a rapidly growing industry.
For now, players, advertisers, and cricket administrators alike are bracing for a reshaped sporting landscape. The law may have halted a booming industry inside India, but it appears unlikely to extinguish the appetite for betting.
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