England fly-half Zoe Harrison says the introduction of smaller balls for this autumn's WXV Global Series is "the worst decision someone has ever made". Size 4.5 balls - about 3% smaller, but the same weight as a regulation size five - will be used for the tournament in September and October
Employees of State Bank of India (SBI) have announced a two-day nationwide strike on May 25 and 26, raising concerns over possible disruption in banking services for millions of customers across India. The protest, led by employee unions representing workmen staff
Tamil Nadu elections: In a bold move, the Congress party has thrown its weight behind Vijay's TVK for the formation of Tamil Nadu's next government, officially parting ways with their historic ally DMK. This endorsement is predicated on a promise from TVK to distance itself from any communal
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy has issued a stern warning to all ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Vessels must strictly adhere to routes designated by Tehran. Any deviation will result in a strong response. This comes amid rising regional tensions and a US naval blockade of Iranian ports
Looks like it’s all water under the bridge at Santos. After days of noise surrounding their training-ground altercation, Neymar and Robinho Jr. have both come forward to confirm that the issue has been resolved, putting an end to a saga that briefly threatened to spiral
India's real-money gaming industry has been thrown into turmoil after Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which bans all money-based online games and prescribes penalties of up to Rs 1 crore and jail terms. Mobile Premier League (MPL), one of the country's biggest gaming platforms, said it was halting its real-money offerings. In a LinkedIn post, the company stated it “respects the rule of law and will comply fully" with the ban.
Online Gaming Bill 2025: Zupee, MPL, Dream Sports, Gameskraft Halt Money-Based Games
India's real-money gaming industry has been thrown into turmoil after Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which bans all money-based online games and prescribes penalties of up to Rs 1 crore and jail terms.
Mobile Premier League (MPL), one of the country's biggest gaming platforms, said it was halting its real-money offerings. In a LinkedIn post, the company stated it “respects the rule of law and will comply fully" with the ban.
“Effective immediately, we are suspending all gaming offerings involving money on the MPL platform in India," the company said. “Our foremost priority is our users. While new deposits will no longer be accepted, customers will be able to withdraw their balances seamlessly. However, online money games will not be available on the MPL platform anymore."
MPL, which has more than 120 million registered users worldwide, is the first major platform to shut down after the legislation.
Rival Zupee also confirmed it would discontinue paid games. A spokesperson said, “Zupee remains fully operational and our players can continue to enjoy their favourite games on the platform. In line with the new Online Gaming Bill 2025, we are discontinuing paid games, but our hugely popular free titles like Ludo Supreme, Ludo Turbo, Snakes & Ladders, and Trump Card Mania will continue to be available for all users for free."
“We remain committed to delivering fun, engaging, and responsible gaming & entertainment experiences to our 150+ million users across India for free," the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, Dream Sports has also stopped all ‘Pay to Play' contests on Dream Picks, a recently launched fantasy sports app that let users build four-player teams and compete across both innings. The company is also suspending its casual RMG app, Dream Play. Both apps were launched by the fantasy sports major in recent months.
“In view of the recent development pertaining to “The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025", we are pausing all ‘Pay to Play' Fantasy Sports contests on our platform. Your account balance is safe and available for you to withdraw from the Dream11 app," according to a notice on the app.
Parent company Dream Sports is expected to shift focus to other ventures such as FanCode, Sportz Drip, Cricbuzz, and Willow TV.
Bengaluru-based Gameskraft is also halting its ‘Add Cash' and ‘Gameplay services' on its rummy apps, that include RummyCulture. “The withdrawal services continue to remain available in accordance with platform policies. We want to reassure that the users funds continue to be safe with us. This is a precautionary measure to ensure full compliance with the evolving legal framework," a company spokesperson said in a statement.
Another gaming company Probo has also discontinued its real-money gaming. A spokesperson said, “As unfortunate as it is, we respect the government of India's latest Online Gaming bill. In light of this development, Probo has decided to discontinue its real-money gaming (RMG) operations with immediate effect until further notice. We remain steadfast in our vision to innovate and build information markets from India, for the world."
The ban is set to disrupt lakhs of players while sparking widespread layoffs and an investment freeze across India's gaming sector. The government, however, has signaled that esports and non-monetary skill-based games will be the future of the industry.
Parliament on August 21 passed The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, with the Rajya Sabha approving it without debate amid din.
The bill, piloted by Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeks to ban all forms of online money games while promoting eSports and online social gaming.
Swipe Left For Next Video
It also seeks to prohibit advertisements related to online money games and bar banks and financial institutions from facilitating or transferring funds for any of such games.
Online money games are played by depositing money in expectation of winning monetary and other rewards.
Source: News18
Related Posts: India-US sign 10-year defence pact amid tariff turmoil Why Turmoil In Iran Could Narrow India’s Options And Open Doors For Pak Worried migrants head home from India after Nepal turmoil Will Nepal's Political Turmoil Derail India's Multi-Billion Dollar Projects Kash Patel summoned to Senate over Charlie Kirk probe and FBI turmoil France names new government amid political turmoil China hits growth goal despite Trump tariffs turmoil Ex-NBA Referee Warns Of Deeper Turmoil Amidst Latest Gambling Scandal Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi may skip ICC meet amid political turmoil Bangladesh Cricket In Turmoil As Players Boycott BPL
China has launched a sweeping crackdown on social media influencers—and it’s already reshaping the creator economy. According to media reports, thousands of accounts have been suspended, flagged, or placed under review across platforms in recent weeks
2 hours ago
Several structures, including a Trinamool Congress office, in the New Market area of Kolkata were vandalised by a mob carrying flags of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday, according to reports. Videos widely shared on social media showed the group using a bulldozer to raze a structure
2 hours ago
Two separate low-intensity explosions were reported within hours of each other near military installations in Punjab’s Jalandhar and Amritsar on Tuesday night, The Hindu reported. The first incident took place in Jalandhar around 8 pm, when a scooter parked near the Border Security Force’s
2 hours ago
Tamil Nadu recorded a pass percentage of 99.91% for both Indian School Certificate (ISC) Class 12 examinations and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) Class 10 exams. The results of the exams, held by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)
2 hours ago
As summer temperatures continue to rise, mango-based desserts remain a seasonal favourite across Indian households. Bringing together the richness of hung curd and the sweetness of ripe mangoes, Chef Karthikeyan from The Den Bengaluru shares a simple yet indulgent mango shrikhand recipe that is
2 hours ago
Synopsis: Anthropic and OpenAI are shifting from building AI models to offering complete business services. Backed by multi-billion dollar investments, they are embedding their engineers with clients to design, deploy, and manage custom AI solutions that deliver fast results
2 hours ago
Royal Challengers Bengaluru seek to recover their batting form against Lucknow Super Giants. RCB, currently second, faces a struggling LSG side. RCB's batting faltered in their last match. LSG has lost five of their last six games. This encounter promises an exciting contest as both teams vie for
2 hours ago
Burj Khalifa billionaire builder Mohamed Alabbar reveals why he likes to hire Indians: ‘They answer even at 1 am’Mohamed Alabbar, founder and managing director of Emaar Properties, has revealed why he likes to hire Indians in his company. Updated on: May 06
2 hours ago
A woman has shared a frightening parasailing experience from Goa after an adventure activity nearly turned dangerous in the middle of the sea. The woman said what began as a fun ride quickly became a terrifying moment that left her shaken. The incident was shared on Instagram by Sushmitha Gowrav
2 hours ago
‘Nobody even asked who we were’: Satwik-Chirag pained by lack of respect after Thomas Cup medal, okay ‘being villains’Satwik-Chirag opened up on ‘no one cares’ post after Thomas Cup bronze, highlighting the lack of recognition Updated on: May 06
2 hours ago
IIT Madras Pravartak offers free online course 'Out of the Box Thinking', registration underwaySchool, college students, graduates, working professionals and people from across the society can apply. The registration for the course is underway. Published on: May 06
2 hours ago
Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) promulgated the constitutional council ordinance, which paves the way for the government to appoint key positions in constitutional bodies. The Constitutional Council (Functions, Duties, Powers and Procedure) Ordinance, 2026
2 hours ago
On a recent weekday, around 50 people gathered outside the headquarters of a Chinese mobile internet company, waiting to get help with installing an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. The scene in Beijing, China’s capital, was repeated for days at several events and was also seen in the
2 hours ago
IPL 2026 Playoff Scenarios: The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the schedule for the Indian Premier League playoffs. The final match will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Other playoff matches will take place in Dharamshala and New Chandigarh
2 hours ago
Billionaire director and his wife Mary are gifting $200 million to the to advance AI research and education across the school.The donation will help make USC a “national leader in AI-powered research and creativity,” the school said in a statement
2 hours ago
Ram Gopal Varma says Mamata Banerjee is ‘attacking democracy’ by not resigning as West Bengal CM after defeat to BJPTrinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee refused to resign from the Chief Minister post after defeat in West Bengal Assembly elections. May 6, 2026
2 hours ago
Pune: Tourist rescued after 150-ft fall at Sinhagad Fort while clicking photosA 35-year-old tourist from Shirur rescued after he fell nearly 150 feet into a gorge at Sinhagad Fort in Maharashtra’s Pune on Wednesday evening while trying to click sunset photographs Published on: May 06
2 hours ago
The BJP's victory in West Bengal has reignited interest in the Tajpur deep sea port project. Hopes are high for better Centre-state coordination to speed up the stalled venture. A recent global tender was cancelled due to low participation. The project's success now depends on the new government's
2 hours ago
The Met Gala 2026 red carpet was as star-studded as ever, but some of the night’s most talked-about “attendees" never actually set foot in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Leading the pack was Alia Bhatt, whose AI-generated fashion moment went stratospheric
2 hours ago
China is still supplying drone factories in Iran, Russia despite U.S. sanctionsObscure Chinese firms are openly shipping dual-use goods such as engines and batteries, defying American controls. Published on: May 06, 2026 1:00 PM IST WSJ Share via Copy link On March 5, as the U.S
2 hours ago
Bangladesh's BNP hails BJP's Bengal win; optimistic on Teesta water distributionAzizul Baree Helal, Information Secretary of the BNP, reportedly praised the BJP's performance under the leadership of Suvendu Adhikari. Published on: May 06, 2026 1:32 PM IST ANI Share via Copy link In a move
2 hours ago
Warning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: this article contains references to someone who has died. Three child protection workers in the Northern Territory (NT) have been stood down over their handling of the welfare of a five-year-old Australian girl who was allegedly murdered
2 hours ago
The Maharashtra government has approved Rs 396.60 crore for infrastructure development and preparatory work for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela scheduled to take place in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar in 2027. The allocation marks another significant investment towards organising one of the world’s largest
2 hours ago
Board Exams Done. What Next for Students Planning to Study Abroad?Answers to What should I study, which country is right for me, when should I start preparing, and what do universities expect beyond academic scores is here. Published on: May 06
2 hours ago
Bad government statistics can cost the economy billionsA new study tries to put a number on the value of reliable numbers Published on: May 06, 2026 12:52 PM IST The Economist Share via Copy link THE LIFE of American government beancounters is tough, and not just at cocktail parties
2 hours ago
India’s alco-beverage industry is undergoing a significant transformation. While global exposure has expanded consumer awareness and introduced Indian drinkers to international formats, the industry is increasingly discovering that long-term brand loyalty depends on something deeper
2 hours ago
Indian athletes keep fighting to keep delivering on the field. But, off it? The system keeps tripping them up. For all the celebration that follows their success, a troubling pattern remains: Athletes are too often treated as inconveniences, not representatives of the country
2 hours ago
