When all the chips are down

THE BAN ON REAL MONEY GAMING BRANDS WILL DISRUPT THE AD BUSINESS, WHILE ALSO MAKING WAY FOR NEW ADVERTISERS

- Christina Moniz

IT WAS NOTHING short of a gank. In one fell swoop, the new online gaming law banned all forms of real money games (RMG) and their advertisements, putting a question mark before the estimated ₹10,000-crore (80% digital) marketing investments of leading brands in the category. For the Indian advertising business, which is expected to cross ₹1.5 trillion in 2025, their elimination presents serious short-term challenges, though most insiders remain optimistic that the festive season will keep the industry buoyant.

RMG accounts for a whopping 85% of the ₹31,938 crore (2024) online gaming industry (as per WinZO Games, Interactive Entertainment and Innovation Council), and brands such as Dream11, My11 Circle and Mobile Premier League have been omnipresent across tentpole sports properties like the IPL. They are unmissable on OTT and other digital platforms, accounting for 11% or ₹8,000 crore of the ₹70,000 crore digital ad market.