The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, can hurt the multi-billion-dollar Indian Premier League (IPL) economy, albeit temporarily.
Real money gaming and fantasy sports brands together spent around Rs 2,000 crore in IPL advertising during the 2025 season. That was 40% of the total adspends of Rs 5,000 crore during the cricketing extravaganza. Much of this will go dark, say experts.
IPL’s biggest advertisers in trouble
Experts estimate that overall, the regulations will put about ₹3,000-₹4,500 crore in digital spend at risk. Add to this, TV, OTT, print, and outdoor, and the amount could be ₹5,000-₹7,000 crore. “Let’s be clear, the market will feel a draught. RMG-sized cheques don’t replace themselves overnight,” says Sindhu Biswal, CEO and founder of Buzzlab.
The regulation prohibits advertisements related to online money games in any media, purportedly including WhatsApp, or by social media influencers. Any contravention will attract punishment of a two-year jail term or a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh or both
While media rights have traditionally been the most significant contributor to BCCI’s income – logging ₹9,678 crore in 2025 – the IPL organiser also benefits from associate sponsorships with brands like My11Circle, Dream11 and Real Cricket releasing 80-90% of their ad budgets during the IPL season.
Franchise-level deals also contribute a significantly to BCCI’s IPL revenues. Dream11, for instance, is the front-of-shirt sponsor for five franchises — Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans.
Fallout across digital and media ecosystem
So where does it pain first? Historically, the bulk of this category’s money sat on Meta, Google and programmatic. The next to feel the pinch would bes creators and sports IPs, from shoulder content to mid-tier influencers to team-level integrations.
Publishers too will feel the pain. “When the CPM (cost per mile or the cost an advertiser incurs for one thousand impressions of their ads) softens, the fill rates dip, and the quick commerce and news ecosystems lose a reliable firehose of budget,” says Biswal.
That said, the money will re-surface elsewhere. A big chunk will flow to non-RMG gaming, fintech, e-com, and utility apps, say experts. Some amount will go down-funnel into CRM, WhatsApp, referral, and loyalty. The rest will shift to brand-safe sports and lifestyle formats.