Online Gaming Bill 2025: BCCI breaks tie with Dream11, says ‘will not indulge with such organisations in future’

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and fantasy sports giant Dream11 have officially ended their association following the passage of The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. Speaking to ANI on Monday, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said, “BCCI and Dream 11 are discontinuing their relationship after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, was passed. BCCI will ensure not to indulge with any such organisations ahead in future.”In response to the legislation, Dream11 announced that it has stopped all paid contests and will now operate solely as a free-to-play online social game. “This morning, we stopped all paid contests on Dream11 and pivoted entirely to a free-to-play online social game,” the company said in a statement last Friday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The new law, which received President Droupadi Murmu’s assent earlier in the day, bans all money-based online gaming while recognising and supporting e-sports and online social games. It carries stringent penalties for non-compliance, including imprisonment of up to three years and fines of up to Rs 1 crore. MeitY Secretary S Krishnan told ANI, “As the bill is structured, even without rules, there are certain provisions that can come into force immediately. But that is a decision we will take.”Founded 18 years ago, Dream11 said its goal was always to enhance sports engagement in India. “When we started this journey 18 years ago as a Sports Tech company, we were not even 1% of the size of the USA Fantasy Sports industry. Dream11’s Fantasy Sports product was our way to ‘Make Sports Better’ for all of India,” the company said, adding that it had grown into the world’s largest fantasy sports platform.The company underlined its commitment to legal compliance: “While we believe that progressive regulations would have been the right way forward, we will respect the law and will fully comply with ‘The Promotion & Regulation of Online Gaming Law, 2025.’” Dream11 also confirmed that its other ventures, including FanCode, DreamSetGo, and Dream Game Studios, will continue operating. “These will continue to power our vision to ‘Make Sports Better’ and support our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s ambition of making India a global sporting superpower,” it said, signing off with: “See you in our second innings.”Following suit, My11Circle also suspended real money games, stating: “In line with the new regulations, Games24x7 is suspending real money games on My11Circle. Our commitment to the law remains strong, and we’ll continue to prioritise our players with smooth withdrawals and future updates.”