Online Gaming Ban: Top Indian cricketers like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are set to take a financial hit, all thanks to the Online Gaming ban.
The new policy will affect all corners of the cricket ecosystem, For starters, we have already seen Dream11 pulling out as sponsors of Team India.
Huge Financial Setback For Cricketers
“For some other players, it effectively wipes out their entire endorsement income as these companies were the only brands on their roster,” explains the Cricbuzz report.
Reports claim Kohli earns an annual 10-12 crore from his deal with MPL. Not just that, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni also earn 6-7 crore from Dream 11 and Winzo respectively. All this comes to an end now.
This Bill is also expected to hurt small and big leagues financially. In fact, European Cricket Network has reportedly suspended operations this week, with the organisation’s affiliate links with gaming companies in India being the investment required to keep them running. This shows how has the Bill had a global impact already.
What is The Online Gaming Bill?
Earlier this month, the Lok Sabha passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 after seven minutes of discussion.
The Rajya Sabha passed it the next day and the Bill became law after receiving Presidential Assent on August 22. This Bill encourages e-sports and online social games while prohibiting harmful online money gaming services, advertisements, and financial transactions related to them.