Yamunesh Kumar Singh thought Dream11 was a ticket out of poverty. The 28-year-old from a small town in Bihar was pursuing an undergraduate degree when he got hooked to the fantasy sports app that allows users to build virtual cricket teams and bet money on them in the hope of hitting a jackpot.

Singh borrowed money from his family, even took up a part-time job in the city to play the online money game. But over 4-5 years, he lost Rs 8 lakh-Rs 10 lakh, he said.

According to the government, 45 crore Indians were “negatively affected by online money games and faced a loss of more than Rs 20,000 crores”. Citing these numbers, the government banned online money games through a new legislation in August 2025.

The ban came into effect this week. It extends to games like poker, typically played by more affluent users.

While some have welcomed the government’s move, others have criticised it, arguing that banning online money games would only push them underground.

But what do players think about the ban? We spoke to Singh and others to find out.

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