India Gambling Ban
17th September 2025, Kathmandu
India Gambling Ban, which has disrupted a multi-billion dollar industry and affected hundreds of millions of players, may be failing to achieve its primary goal.
India Gambling Ban
Instead of curbing the habit, the nationwide crackdown appears to be pushing a vast number of users toward illegal offshore websites. This shift raises new concerns about user safety, regulation, and the economic impact on India’s burgeoning sports ecosystem. The online gambling ban India offshore migration is becoming a major issue.
The Crackdown and Its Immediate Impact
Last month, India’s Parliament passed legislation outlawing online card games and fantasy sports, a move that immediately halted one of the country’s most popular digital pastimes.
The government cited concerns over widespread addiction, financial ruin, and even links to fraud and money laundering. With platforms extracting nearly $2.3 billion annually from 450 million people, officials believed this ban was a necessary measure. Those who defy the law now face up to five years in prison.
The ban had an immediate and dramatic effect. Dream11, one of the world’s largest fantasy sports platforms with over 260 million users, suspended cash contests and pulled out of a massive $43 million sponsorship deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The Dream11 logo, once a fixture on the Indian cricket team’s jerseys, has vanished, symbolizing the end of an era.
A Move Toward the Unregulated
Despite the government’s tough stance, many players remain undeterred. For them, a deeply ingrained habit cannot be easily broken. “A habit once formed cannot be broken easily,” said Adarsh Sharma, an advertising professional.
“It is an addiction and people will find ways to gamble. Offshore sites will see a sudden boom.”
Veteran players are confident in their ability to circumvent the new rules. They are already using virtual private networks (VPNs) to mask their location and proxy credit cards to place bets.
“We have done this before and will do it again,” one anonymous fan told AFP. This suggests that the ban, rather than stopping the activity, is simply driving it underground and into an unregulated, high-risk environment.
Ripple Effect on India’s Sports Industry
The repercussions of the ban extend beyond individual users. India’s sporting ecosystem, particularly the Indian Premier League (IPL), is feeling the economic shockwaves.
Fantasy platforms have been some of the most aggressive advertisers in cricket, and their sudden exit threatens significant revenue streams.
Industry analysts estimate that fantasy sports and cryptocurrency companies accounted for a staggering 40 percent of IPL broadcaster ad revenues this year.
With their business models destroyed by the ban, these platforms will dramatically reduce their ad spending, directly impacting broadcasters’ earnings and, by extension, the league’s finances.
When the BCCI renegotiates its media rights in 2027, it could face much lower bids as broadcasters recalibrate their budgets in this new landscape.
Debating the Future
While Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw defended the law by distinguishing between legitimate eSports (which are skill-based and remain legal) and exploitative gambling, critics argue that the ban stifles innovation in a rapidly growing industry.
By lumping fantasy sports in with more traditional gambling, the government may be undermining a sector with immense technological and economic potential.
The law may have successfully halted a booming industry within India’s borders, but it seems unlikely to extinguish the nationwide appetite for betting.
As players, advertisers, and sports administrators brace for a reshaped landscape, the key challenge remains: how to effectively regulate an activity that is simply migrating to a new, less visible, and more dangerous realm.
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