MPL to lay off 60% of India staff after real-money gaming ban: Report

Mobile Premier League (MPL) will dismiss about 60% of its Indian workforce after the government announced a ban on real-money games last month, Reuters reported.

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The report said that the layoffs will affect roughly 300 of the company’s 500 employees in India across marketing, finance, operations, engineering and legal divisions.

The Indian government last month enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which prohibits all games involving financial stakes, whether based on skill or chance. Union Minister had said that the measure was intended to curb addiction, financial hardship and social distress among Indian families.

In an internal email to staff, MPL’s co-founder and CEO, Sai Srinivas, wrote that the company would “be downsizing our India Team significantly” and pledged support for those affected.

“India accounted for 50% of M-League’s revenues and this change would mean that we would no longer be making any revenue from India in the near future,” he said.

MPL, which is backed by Peak XV Partners and previously valued at $2.3 billion, has been among the most prominent operators of fantasy cricket and other real-money games.

The report noted that the company’s India operations generated roughly $100 million in revenue last year. Like many others, MPL will now shift its focus to free-to-play titles and expansion in the United States and Brazil, where paid games remain legal.

Needless to say, the ban on real-money gaming has rattled an industry that was projected to reach $3.6 billion by 2029 and had drawn backing from global investors such as Tiger Global.

Dream11, PokerBaazi, Zupee and Probo also halted their real-money gaming operations, while gaming firm A23 has mounted a legal challenge.