Dream11 ends sponsorship of Indian cricket team following Online Gaming Bill approval

Fantasy sports platform Dream11 is set to part ways with the Indian cricket team as its lead sponsor after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 was passed in Parliament last week. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the development on Monday, citing the newly enacted law as the primary reason for the termination.

Dream11 had signed a three-year contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2023, replacing Byju’s, whose sponsorship ended in March that year. Saikia emphasized that the BCCI will ensure it refrains from partnering with similar organisations in the future.

The decision has left the BCCI in urgent need of a new sponsor ahead of the Asia Cup, scheduled to begin on September 9 in the United Arab Emirates.

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, approved by President Droupadi Murmu on Friday, August 23 aims to encourage e-sports and online social gaming while prohibiting online money gaming. The legislation strictly bans offering, operating, or facilitating online money games, including those based on skill, chance, or a combination of both.

“The BCCI and Dream11 are discontinuing their relationship following the Online Gaming Bill. Moving forward, the BCCI will avoid engagement with such organisations,” Saikia told ANI.

The Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and in the Rajya Sabha the following day, also seeks to regulate advertisements and financial transactions associated with online money gaming, marking a significant shift in India’s approach to online gaming sponsorships.