ReutersMobile Premier League (MPL) is set to downsize its India team significantly after halting all money-based games in the country, cofounder Sai Srinivas told employees in an internal email.
The move follows the recently passed Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which imposed a blanket ban on real money gaming, forcing the platform to focus on a free-to-play model.
Srinivas said the move will wipe out all domestic revenues for the Bengaluru-based gaming company. India accounted for about 50% of MPL’s group revenue.
ET has reviewed the email.
"At the end of the day, if the popular will is that a certain business model is not encouraged in India, we believe the best course of action is to accept that and build forward," Srinivas wrote. "Hence, with a heavy heart, we have decided that we will be downsizing our India team significantly."
He added that MPL will provide support to impacted employees during the transition.
The Act, which came into effect last month, prohibits real-money gaming. While some companies are planning to challenge the legislation in courts, MPL said it does not expect any near-term relief. "We believe any relief from the courts will only materialise, if at all, after a long drawn process where we will continue to be in limbo for months, if not years," Srinivas noted.
The legislation has hit the operations of many gaming platforms hard, with many shifting away from money-based formats to soften the blow.
In a recent interview with ET, Harsh Jain, CEO of Dream Sports, parent of Dream11, described the legislation as a “knockout punch” for the industry, noting that it wiped out 95% of the group’s revenue overnight, along with all its profits. The company has since shut down its real-money operations. Jain, however, said that won’t be legally challenging the ban.
Other operators, including Zupee, and Probo, have also discontinued their real-money gaming operations.
Head Digital Works, which runs the rummy and poker platform A23, is the first real money gaming firm to legally contest the Act, after filing a petition in the Karnataka High Court.
Despite the setback, the Peak XV-backed MPL said it will continue to work on a new business model for India.
The move follows the recently passed Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which imposed a blanket ban on real money gaming, forcing the platform to focus on a free-to-play model.
Srinivas said the move will wipe out all domestic revenues for the Bengaluru-based gaming company. India accounted for about 50% of MPL’s group revenue.
ET has reviewed the email.
"At the end of the day, if the popular will is that a certain business model is not encouraged in India, we believe the best course of action is to accept that and build forward," Srinivas wrote. "Hence, with a heavy heart, we have decided that we will be downsizing our India team significantly."
He added that MPL will provide support to impacted employees during the transition.
The Act, which came into effect last month, prohibits real-money gaming. While some companies are planning to challenge the legislation in courts, MPL said it does not expect any near-term relief. "We believe any relief from the courts will only materialise, if at all, after a long drawn process where we will continue to be in limbo for months, if not years," Srinivas noted.
The legislation has hit the operations of many gaming platforms hard, with many shifting away from money-based formats to soften the blow.
In a recent interview with ET, Harsh Jain, CEO of Dream Sports, parent of Dream11, described the legislation as a “knockout punch” for the industry, noting that it wiped out 95% of the group’s revenue overnight, along with all its profits. The company has since shut down its real-money operations. Jain, however, said that won’t be legally challenging the ban.
Other operators, including Zupee, and Probo, have also discontinued their real-money gaming operations.
Head Digital Works, which runs the rummy and poker platform A23, is the first real money gaming firm to legally contest the Act, after filing a petition in the Karnataka High Court.
Despite the setback, the Peak XV-backed MPL said it will continue to work on a new business model for India.
as a Reliable and Trusted News Source
Add Now!
