BCCI Ends INR 358 Crore Jersey Sponsorship Deal with Dream11 Following New Online Gaming Law

BCCI Ends INR 358 Crore Jersey Sponsorship Deal with Dream11 Following New Online Gaming Law

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially ended its high-profile jersey sponsorship deal with fantasy sports platform Dream11. The decision follows the recent enactment of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which effectively bans the operation and promotion of real money online gaming in India.

The sponsorship agreement, worth INR 358 crore, was signed in 2023 and was supposed to run for three years. However, under the new law, continuing the deal would have been illegal, prompting a mutual decision between both parties to terminate the association.

"BCCI and Dream11 are discontinuing their relationship after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, was passed," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed. "BCCI will ensure not to indulge with any such organisations ahead in future."

Dream11, owned by Dream Sports and known as the largest real-money gaming company globally, did not issue a public statement on the matter.

The newly passed bill imposes a complete ban on online money games—whether based on skill, chance, or a combination of both—and prohibits any form of advertising or financial transactions related to such platforms. Financial institutions and payment gateways have already begun blocking transactions to gaming companies in compliance with the law.

With the Asia Cup 2025 set to begin in the UAE on September 9, the Indian cricket team now finds itself without a jersey sponsor. The BCCI has just over two weeks to secure a new sponsorship deal before the tournament commences.

Key Provisions of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025:

  • Complete ban on offering, operating, or facilitating online money games.

  • Ban on advertisements and promotions of such games across all forms of media.

  • Financial institutions barred from processing transactions linked to online money gaming.

  • Legal authority to block access to unlawful gaming platforms under the IT Act, 2000.

The law marks a significant regulatory shift in India’s digital gaming landscape and is already having wide-reaching implications across the sports sponsorship and fintech ecosystems.