Paid fantasy cricket is no longer legal in India. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 covers any game where users stake money expecting monetary return, regardless of skill, and the Supreme Court has held money fantasy sports to be betting and gambling. Free-to-play fantasy without stakes or cash prizes remains lawful.
Fantasy sports lost its defence
Fantasy cricket built its legality on a genuine legal foundation. Courts had accepted that selecting a squad within constraints involved sufficient skill to fall outside gambling prohibitions, Varun Gumber v. Union Territory of Chandigarh (2017) and subsequent rulings were the industry's shield.
The 2025 Act removes that shield by defining online money games "irrespective of whether such games are based on skill or chance". However skilful fantasy selection is, paying an entry fee in the expectation of winning money now places a contest inside the prohibition.
The Supreme Court has since held that money fantasy sports constitute betting and gambling, closing the argument from the other direction.
Editorial explainer, not legal advice. The law here is contested and moving, constitutional challenges are pending before the Supreme Court. For decisions about your own position, consult a qualified Indian lawyer.
What the industry did
Dream Sports closed Dream11's real-money operations, with users asked to withdraw balances as entry fees and cash prizes were discontinued. Mobile Premier League suspended paid contests. Several operators pivoted to free-to-play and advertising-supported models.
What you can still play
Free-to-play fantasy (no entry fee, no cash prize) falls under "online social games" and remains permitted. Leaderboards, bragging rights and non-monetary recognition are fine. The moment money goes in expecting money out, it is a money game.
E-sports is a separate permitted category with its own conditions, see what remains legal.
The grey edge worth knowing about
The definition reaches anything "equivalent or convertible to money, including virtual coins and tokens". A contest advertising itself as free but awarding tokens that can be converted to cash is not obviously outside the prohibition. Treat convertibility, not the marketing label, as the test.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is Dream11 shut down?
Its real-money contests were discontinued and users were asked to withdraw balances. Free-to-play offerings have continued in various forms.
What about the old court rulings saying fantasy is a game of skill?
They addressed whether fantasy fell within state gambling bans. The 2025 Act legislates around that distinction by applying regardless of skill or chance.
Are private fantasy leagues with friends legal?
A league with no stake and no monetary prize is not a money game. Pooling entry money for a cash prize is the thing the Act prohibits.
Sources
Every legal claim on this page traces to the material below. Primary sources are the statute and government notifications themselves.
- The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (Act No. 32 of 2025) — full text(opens in a new tab) — Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of IndiaPrimary source
- Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 — official announcement(opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau, Government of IndiaPrimary source
- Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026(opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau, Government of IndiaPrimary source
- The Online Gaming Act, 2025 — redrawing India's online gaming landscape(opens in a new tab) — Trilegal
