After ‘The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill’ was passed by both houses of parliament late on Thursday, the Indian cricket team faces the possibility of sporting a jersey without a logo at the upcoming Asia Cup, which begins in the United Arab Emirates next month.
The sweeping bill bans online fantasy sports and gambling platforms, such as Dream11, which was announced as Team India’s lead sponsor in July 2023 for a period of three years.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to make an official announcement regarding the future of its association with India’s biggest fantasy sports gaming platform. However, the national governing body’s secretary Devajit Saikia on Friday said that the BCCI would adhere to the laws of the country.
“If it’s not permissible, we’ll not do anything. The BCCI will follow every policy of the country that is framed by the central government,” Saikia said.
Dream11, in a statement posted on its website on Friday, noted that, following the passing of the bill, “cash games and contests have been discontinued”, but urged fans to “stay tuned”. Other games remained online on Friday, with the bill still needing to be formally ratified by the president before taking effect.
The bill banning online money games and betting criminalises the offering, promotion and financing of such games, with offenders facing up to five years in prison.
Government figures indicate that companies had stripped $2.3 billion annually from 450 million people.
A worrying trend?
Dream11 now joins an unenviable list of Team India’s lead sponsors that have been hit by financial or legal trouble. The Sahara logo was splashed on Team India jerseys from 2001 to 2013 before the group faced the wrath of SEBI for regulatory violations. Star India, lead sponsor from 2014 to 2017, was subjected to a probe by the Competition Commission, and Oppo, which came onboard in 2017, exited the partnership early (2020) owing to financial constraints.
Byju’s took over jersey sponsorship rights in 2020, but its association with Indian cricket ended on a bitter note with the BCCI taking the edtech firm to court over payment defaults.
-With inputs from AFP
Published on Aug 22, 2025
