Dream11 has announced that it is shifting from being a fantasy gaming platform to becoming a second-screen sports entertainment platform. Under the new model, Dream11 will offer creator-led live match watch-alongs, where fans and sports creators experience matches together, along with real-time fan reactions and free-to-play fantasy sports. The aim is to complement live sports broadcasts rather than replace them.
Speaking about the change, Harsh Jain, co-founder and CEO of Dream11 and parent company Dream Sports, said, “No sports fan should ever watch a match alone. Now, our 250 million users can take their sports engagement to the next level with watch-alongs that enable sports creators and fans to share their raw and unfiltered emotions before, during and after every match.”
The move comes in the wake of a nationwide ban on real-money games (RMG), which has effectively eliminated the core revenue stream for many operators. As a result, several RMG platforms have shut down or exited these operations, making Dream11’s pivot a response to a transformed regulatory environment.
RMG Platforms After Online Gaming Ban
Following Parliament’s passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 (PROGA), which prohibits offering and facilitating real-money gaming services, major operators have either suspended cash play or shut down businesses in India.
Dream11, MPL, Gameskraft, and Games24x7 suspended real-money contests and deposits after the Bill banned cash play, while PokerBaazi and others stopped taking deposits in anticipation of the law coming into force. Companies such as WinZO, MPL, and Games24x7 have also voluntarily shuttered their real-money gaming operations. Some firms have started pivoting to new products: Zupee and WinZO are turning to micro-dramas, in-app purchases, and subscriptions.
Zupee has launched “Zupee Studio”, a short-format content platform hosting one-to-three-minute drama shows, and is offering a subscription for ad-free games and shows. Other operators are exiting the market altogether. Hike has shut down operations after the real-money gaming ban, with founder Kavin Bharti Mittal citing regulatory uncertainty and risk.
Why This Matters
The nationwide ban on real-money gaming has triggered a sharp economic shock for an industry that supported thousands of platform employees, creators, affiliates, and support staff, alongside extensive influencer and gig-based incomes tied to cash contests. As operators suspended or shut down money-gaming operations following the passage of PROGA, the immediate consequences have included job losses, business closures, and the erosion of livelihoods built around the sector.
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At the same time, legal uncertainty continues, with Head Digital Works challenging the law in the Supreme Court, arguing that it violates the right to livelihood and trade guaranteed under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution. The debate now extends beyond commercial outcomes into constitutional terrain.
Against this backdrop, platform pivots take on added significance. Rather than simple reinvention, they test whether displaced workers and creators can transition into compliant digital entertainment models. Moves into free-to-play formats, creator-led watch-alongs, subscriptions, and short-form content platforms reflect attempts to retain audiences and redeploy talent within regulatory limits.
However, the long-term viability of these models remains uncertain. The success of such pivots will shape not only corporate survival but also the future of employment and the creator ecosystem built during the real-money gaming boom.
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