The current ban on online real-money games, following India’s new Promotion and Regulation of On-line Gaming Invoice 2025, marks a major shift within the cricket and gaming panorama within the nation. Dream11, an enormous fantasy sport platform and India’s nationwide cricket workforce’s key sponsor, halted its paid contests as a consequence of this authorities transfer banning real-money gaming. This ban won’t solely influence the booming fantasy sports activities trade but additionally alter how tens of millions of cricket followers have interaction with the game. From fan participation to sponsorship dynamics, the ripple results are poised to reshape cricket fandom in profound methods.
Listed below are 3 methods a ban on on-line cash video games might change cricket fandom in India:
1. Decline in fan engagement and participation
Cash video games and comparable fantasy platforms fueled an interactive cricket fandom, enabling followers to actively take part by creating fantasy groups and successful money prizes. With the ban on real-money fantasy video games, this direct, high-stakes engagement will diminish. Followers who thrived on the joys of competing and successful could lose a serious incentive to comply with matches carefully. This might scale back viewership and the general pleasure surrounding cricket tournaments like IPL. The substitution with subscription-based or non-monetary video games could not totally compensate for the sense of involvement misplaced with prize incentives, doubtlessly dampening fan enthusiasm and reference to the game.
2. Shift in cricket content material creation and consumption
Fantasy sports activities impressed a surge in cricket-related content material, together with evaluation, predictions, tutorials, and fantasy professional ideas. This content material ecosystem thrived as a result of followers actively sought methods to enhance their groups. The ban on paid contests could scale back demand for such content material, impacting content material creators and decreasing the range and depth of cricket discussions on-line. Fan communities could shift from strategy-driven participation to extra passive consumption, doubtlessly altering how followers join with cricket narratives and discourse.
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3. Lowered grassroots and rising sport help
Fantasy sports activities sponsors like Dream11 additionally funded grassroots leagues, rising sports activities occasions, and expertise improvement initiatives. The income move from these platforms not directly propelled cricket outreach applications and smaller cricket tournaments throughout states. The ban threatens this monetary pipeline, doubtlessly leaving native leagues and rising cricket codecs underfunded. This discount in help could sluggish the expansion of cricket’s grassroots fan base and rising participant swimming pools, negatively impacting the game’s future improvement and the range of cricket fandom throughout India’s areas.
Additionally READ: 3 reasons why the ban on betting apps like Dream11 is a correct move
