Zupee, others halt paid games after blanket ban on real-money gaming, shift focus to free-to-play strategy
More companies in the online money gaming space are expected to make similar announcements as the industry absorbs the sweeping prohibition.
Zupee, one of India’s largest online gaming startups, said it will discontinue all paid games after the Parliament passed a law banning real-money gaming platforms.
More companies in the space are expected to make similar announcements as the industry absorbs the sweeping prohibition.
Dream Sports will also halt its real money gaming verticals at Dream 11, and shift focus on other verticals such as Fancode, a pay-per view sports streaming website which has signed a multi-year deal with popular Spanish football league La Liga.
After the ban, Gameskraft — which operates RummyPrime and RummyCulture — as well as fantasy sports app Mobile Premier League (MPL) and prediction market platform Probo, which is similar to US based Polymarket, have also shut down their money-based games.
“Zupee remains fully operational and our players can continue to enjoy their favourite games on the platform,” a company spokesperson said. “In line with the new Online Gaming Bill 2025, we are discontinuing paid games, but our hugely popular free titles like Ludo Supreme, Ludo Turbo, Snakes & Ladders, and Trump Card Mania will continue to be available for all users for free.”
"As unfortunate as it is, we respect the government of India's latest Online Gaming bill. In light of this development, Probo has decided to discontinue its real-money gaming (RMG) operations with immediate effect until further notice. We remain steadfast in our vision to innovate and build information markets from India, for the world," a probo spokesperson said in a statement.
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which received parliamentary approval on Thursday, imposes a blanket ban on real-money gaming services while carving out space for esports and casual social games.
The legislation follows years of regulatory uncertainty and a string of legal disputes over whether such games constituted “skill” or “chance.”
Zupee, which says it has more than 150 million users across India, is the first major platform to publicly confirm compliance with the new law. Its move underscores the abrupt shift facing an industry that had attracted billions of dollars in venture capital and grown rapidly on the back of real-money contests.
With the ban now awaiting formal notification, India’s once-booming real-money gaming sector is bracing for widespread shutdowns, layoffs, and a scramble to pivot toward free-to-play or esports offerings.
Edited by Jyoti Narayan