After the passage of Online Gaming Bill in the parliament, fantasy sports platform Dream11 has decided to back out as the lead sponsor of the Indian cricket team. The decision comes just days before the start of Asia Cup 2025.
The ‘Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025’ got the assent of President Droupadi Murmu on Friday. The new law bans all kinds of online games involving real money. It imposes penalties of up to three years imprisonment and fines reaching ₹1 crore for violations.
The bill was passed by Lok Sabha on Wednesday and by Rajya Sabha on Thursday without much discussion, as opposition continued to disrupt proceedings.
According a report by NDTV, Dream11 is not willing to continue its deal with BCCI, but an official announcement has not been made yet.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia on Friday said that the board will follow the laws of the country. He said, “If it’s not permissible, we’ll not do anything. The BCCI will follow every policy of the country that is framed by the central government.”
BCCI is expected to invite new bids to sponsor the Indian cricket team. The Asia Cup starts on 9 September, and if a new sponsor is not found before that, the team will have to play without a lead sponsor. As per reports, jerseys for the team with Dream11 logo have already been printed, but they won’t be used at the tournament.
Dream11 had become the Team India sponsor in 2023 by winning the bid for ₹358 crore. The company was paying ₹3 crore per home match and ₹1 crore per away game. The sponsorship deal was to expire in 2026.,
Notably, after the bill was passed, Dream11 discontinued all paid contests on its platform. It has said that now it will operate solely as a free-to-play online social game.
