The best Indian startups in the real games space began to close operations after New Delhi has effectively banned the sector through new legislation now is about to become a law.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives of the Indian Parliament approved the promotion and organization of the online gaming bill, 2025-suggests a fully banning real games with aiming to promote informal games via the Internet and electronic sports. The vote came only one day after the bill Lower house cleansingLeaving the presidential approval only before the law – formal is expected to occur soon.
Shortly after the bill has passed in Parliament, the Indian Sports League at Unicorns Dream SPORTS, Mobile Premier-began alongside other startups such as Gameskraft, Probo and Zupee-to close real money operations. Some of these companies informed the employees of their decision after the draft law in the House of Representatives passed on Wednesday, while others began noting the users directly through their applications.
Dream Sports, which Devour Investors, including Tiger Global, Multiples, Alpha Wave Global and TCV, have closed the recently launched fast fantasy games app, Dream Picks. Other applications that include real money transactions, including Dream11 and Dream Play on a large scale, are still working at the time of deposit. However, Techcrunch has learned that a Mumbai -based start -up company is planning to close the work of games with real money completely once the legislation comes into effect.
At the City Hall meeting on Wednesday, the startup company informed its employees of the laws of the law, according to a person familiar with Techcrunch, to request not to disclose his identity because the meeting was internal. Indian site Entrackr I mentioned Some details about the meeting earlier.
Dream SPORTS was planning to expand outside India, two people familiar with the informed information of Techcrunch, provided that it was unknown, because the plan was not general.
A source for the investor told Techcrunch that the startup also has some partnership talks on its Indian business in real funds earlier this week, which was about to be completed.
TECHRUNCH event
San Francisco
|
27-29 October, 2025
A Dream SPORTS spokesman rejected the comment.
Like Dream SPORTS, MPL, supported by investors including Peak XV, Times Internet, MSA Novo and Crown Capital, suspended all real money games and no longer takes deposits.
“The deposit cash (minus GST) will be available from August 22, 2025,” says media on the MPL application.
ZUPEE, with support from investors including WestCap Group, Tomales Bay Capital, Nepean Capital, AJ Capital and Z47 (Matrix Partners India) previously, also closed real money games with an immediate effect.
“In line with the new online gaming bill 2025, we stop paid games, but our very famous free titles such as Ludo Supreme, Ludo Turbo, Snakes & Wadders and Trump Card Mania will remain available to all users for free,” a Zupee spokesman said in a statement.
Probo, another startup backed by XV, which is also the capital and basic partnership among its main investors, has arrested real money games after the vegetables of Parliament.
“It is unfortunate as it is, we respect the government of the latest bill for online games in India. In light of this development, Probo decided to stop real money operations (RMG) with an immediate impact until another notice,” said Gurugram, who is based on Gurugram, said.
Gameskraft has stopped starting Bootstraped running money on its RUMMY apps as a result of legislation. Likewise, Cricbuzz11 fictional cricket game has stopped its operations.
“The deposits (net commodity and services tax) will be returned to a bank account within 30 days.”
In addition to closing real money games, many employees in these startups began searching for new jobs, while publishing hundreds of searching for their jobs on social media.
“We no longer have a safe job, as these companies are expected to reduce some roles in the coming days to maintain their business and satisfy investors,” said one of the employees, who asked not to be identified for fear that future opportunities will be exposed to TECHCRUNCH.
Although these startups can challenge the law in the Indian Supreme Court as soon as they enter into force, most of them chose not to follow this road.
“This evaluation is accurate-they will have a difficult battle in the Supreme Court,” said public policy expert with some of the startups for these real games for Techcrunch, and asked not to be identified for fear of losing customers.
The startups of real games in India have a joint evaluation of the institutions of $ 2 trillion (about 23 billion dollars), generate cumulative returns of $ 310 billion (about $ 3.6 billion), and contributes in 200 billion dollars (about $ 2.29 billion) quote Through industrial bodies in their messages to the Indian Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior earlier this week. It also shows a 28 % annual growth rate that would double the volume of industry by 2028.
https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/mpl-app.jpg?resize=1200,800
Source link