Dream11’s exit as the Indian team’s jersey sponsor is just a small part of a bigger shift in fantasy gaming. The BCCI should recover soon and might find a new sponsor by the time the Asia Cup comes around. But the government’s ban on real money gaming will have a bigger impact as it was a major source of revenue for the industry and for cricketers.
Gaming companies spend a lot on ads and endorsements so cricketers will feel the pinch. Almost every Indian cricketer with an IPL contract has deals with real money gaming companies. Players like Virat Kohli and Rahul Chahar had these sponsorships which are now ending.
Big names like Rohit Sharma and the Pandya brothers were with Dream11 while others like Shubman Gill endorsed My11 Circle. Kohli was with MPL and MS Dhoni with Winzo. These deals are now at risk for both the players and the companies. Kohli’s contracts were worth around INR 10-12 crore per year while Sharma and Dhoni made around INR 6-7 crore. Younger players earned around INR 1 crore. Indian cricketers could lose INR 150-200 crore yearly due to the ban on advertising money games.
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For top players these deals are a small part of their income but for others it’s a big hit. For example Mohammed Siraj who had three brand deals will lose 33% of his endorsement income. Some players may lose all their endorsement income.
BCCI jersey sponsorship was the first to be hit by the bill but IPL and its teams will lose sponsors too. My11 Circle, an IPL sponsor, gives Rs 125 crore per year to the BCCI. Teams like KKR and SRH earn INR 10-20 crore a year from gaming company sponsorships which they will also lose. Smaller leagues will lose revenue too.
Experts say the ad industry will lose INR 8,000-10,000 crore a year due to the bill. Gaming companies make up about 7-8% of ad spend and most of that will disappear.
One expert said endorsements for cricketers will drop with potential revenue decline of 20-25%. This could be around INR 8,000-10,000 crore.
The government’s decision came after complaints of gamers losing lots of money.
The bill bans these games and their ads. Banks are also blocking transactions related to them.A national authority will be set up to regulate online games, classify and register games, receive complaints and frame rules. Punishment can be up to 3 years in jail and/or INR 1 crore fine.
