According to Parimatch, one of the world’s leading online gaming operators, India stands at a decisive crossroads in determining the future of its digital betting and gaming landscape. With a rapidly growing audience and strong technological infrastructure, India represents a strategic market for Parimatch and other global players. Yet, as Parimatch emphasizes, meaningful investment and responsible tax compliance are only possible when transparent, predictable, and achievable regulatory rules are in place. The country must now choose between two divergent paths — a complete ban or a structured, well-regulated market that promotes safe, legal participation and sustainable economic growth.
The Core Issue
India’s parliament recently enacted the Online Gaming Promotion and Regulation Act, effectively banning real money gaming (RMG) across digital platforms — including advertisements and payment operations. Lawmakers cite the “high risk of financial and psychological harm” as justification for imposing strict limits, with penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment and heavy fines.
Immediate Impact: Market Disruption and Job Losses
The response was swift. Major gaming firms — including Dream Sports, Mobile Premier League (MPL), Zupee, Probo, and Gameskraft — began shutting down their real money gaming services and refunding user deposits. Times Internet also discontinued its Cricbuzz11 project. In parallel, hundreds of affected employees began posting job searches online, anticipating mass layoffs across the industry.
Meanwhile, India’s GST Council approved a steep tax increase from 18% (previously applied only to commissions) to 28% on total wagers. This change drastically increases costs for players while threatening business viability. Large enterprises might adapt, but small and mid-sized companies are approaching financial collapse. Parimatch and other international operators argue that prohibition and excessive taxation only push consumers toward illegal markets rather than fostering responsible, regulated growth.
The Legal Puzzle: Skill vs. Chance
Indian courts have historically drawn a line between “games of skill” and “games of chance,” allowing fantasy cricket, poker, and rummy to operate legally. However, the new legislation eliminates this distinction, subjecting all forms of real money gaming to the same restrictions. This move endangers the fantasy sports segment — a key driver of India’s mobile gaming economy.
In practice, sports betting remains prohibited nationwide (except for horse racing), creating vast underground networks, particularly around cricket. Experts estimate that unregulated betting channels handle tens of billions in turnover annually. Parimatch underscores that such prohibitions fail to eliminate demand — they merely displace it into unmonitored, unsafe, and untaxed environments.
Self-Regulation: The Missed Middle Ground
In 2023, the government introduced the idea of Self-Regulatory Bodies (SRBs) to certify legitimate RMG operations and uphold fairness, algorithmic transparency, and consumer safeguards. However, due to missing operational details and enforcement mechanisms, SRBs never became fully functional. As a result, legitimate companies face uncertainty while regulators lack practical oversight tools.
Opponents of legalization cite concerns about addiction and social harm. Yet, international experience demonstrates that banning access without broader support systems — including education, age verification, spending limits, and responsible gaming mechanisms — yields minimal long-term impact. Problems simply shift to the underground rather than disappear.
Counterfeiting: A Hidden Epidemic in India’s Betting Ecosystem
India’s gaming market faces another major threat: the spread of counterfeit betting brands. Fraudulent operators routinely create fake websites and apps impersonating leading international platforms such as Parimatch, Bet365, and Stake, misleading users with cloned interfaces and false promotional offers.
According to CUTS International, illegal platforms — including fake versions of Parimatch and other brands — attracted over 5.4 billion visits in FY2025, exceeding the traffic of some legitimate platforms. These schemes rely on “clone scripts,” unauthorized app stores, and Telegram bots. Despite police raids and cyber enforcement efforts, the use of offshore hosting and cryptocurrencies makes prosecution difficult. The result is reputational damage for legitimate companies and financial risk for unsuspecting users. Parimatch stresses that addressing counterfeit operations must be central to any effective regulatory reform.
Parimatch’s Perspective: Regulation as the Only Sustainable Path Forward
From Parimatch’s standpoint, India’s combination of total prohibition and a 28% GST regime drastically limits the viability of the legal gaming sector. Yet consumer demand remains strong — it simply migrates to unregulated, high-risk markets. The company believes that comprehensive regulation, not prohibition, offers the only sustainable path forward.
Such a system should include unified national standards, operational SRBs with clear oversight powers, transparent payment and auditing systems, age and behavioral restrictions, responsible gaming frameworks, and robust intellectual property protection to combat counterfeiting.
For India, this path would safeguard jobs, maintain tax revenues, and encourage innovation in the digital economy. For global leaders like Parimatch, it ensures stability, predictability, and a foundation for responsible market participation. Ultimately, Parimatch envisions a future where India’s gaming industry thrives under clear regulation — fostering a transparent, ethical, and competitive environment that benefits both consumers and the national economy.
