Dream Sports CEO says firm prepared for ‘Dream11 3.0’, is not going to problem govt ban on on-line actual cash gaming

Harsh Jain, co-founder and CEO of Dream Sports, the guardian firm of on-line gaming and fantasy sports activities main Dream11, has stated that the corporate is not going to oppose the federal government plan and as a substitute plan to rebuild below a “3.0 model”.

Notably, Dream11 has been impacted by the federal government’s ban on on-line actual cash gaming, after each Houses of Parliament handed the ‘Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025’ final week.

Speaking to Storyboard18, Jain mentioned his views on the ban, and what the ₹7,000 crore value (Bloomberg pegs the price at round $8 billion) firm’s future would seem like.

Dream11 CEO ‘ready for 3.0’: What does this imply?

On Dream11 3.0, Jain famous that with 95 per cent of the corporate’s revenues gone, “aggressive” focus could be on different companies resembling DreamCricket, DreamCash, DreamSetGo and FanCode.

Why “3.0”? According to the CEO, the corporate’s non-RMG journey from 2008-12 was part 1, whereas the RMG-based part from 2012-15 was Dream11 2.0; thus Dream11 3.0 shall be a brand new mannequin.

How will this work? Jain is seeking to make fantasy sports activities “more engaging and find a sustainable business model, and maybe even take it global as a Make-in-India product”. With the choice of RMG gone, free-to-play could be an element and as such promoting and sponsorships, in addition to growth to international markets, could be key, he added.

Dream11 is not going to problem govt ban: ‘We’ve complied instantly…’

He added that the corporate would respect the regulation, stating, “When our business model was constitutionally protected, we ran it. Now that the law has changed, we’ve complied immediately — even before the ban was formally signed. And I can say clearly: Dream11 will not challenge this law in court.”

On authorized motion, he added, “Today’s law prohibits RMG, so we won’t challenge it. However, if someone tries to retroactively claim our past operations were illegal gambling, we will defend ourselves, because back then we were constitutionally protected.”

Dream11: No layoffs deliberate, says CEO

“We have 500 engineers who were previously focused on maintaining existing systems. Now, we’ll redirect them toward building for the future — AI-driven innovations in sports content, commerce, merchandising, and fan experiences,” Jain stated.

When requested about layoffs, Jain was agency that that they had no such plans. “No. The only way out of this hole is by building great products, and that requires great talent… If we ever have to start laying off talent, that would be the day we should consider shutting down. Instead, we’ll cut marketing, advertising, and partnership spends. But our people stay,” he added.

Dream11 pulls out of Indian workforce sponsorship?

Earlier at present, experiences famous that Dream11 knowledgeable the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that it’s “is not in a situation to sponsor teams anymore”.

Speaking to Storyboard, Jain confirmed that the corporate is within the final six months of its contract with the BCCI and have mentioned the impression of the ban with them. “We’ve had a decade-long relationship with the BCCI, which we deeply value. Any decision about the partnership will be made mutually. We’ve already discussed the impact of the ban with them, and we’ll work out a mutually beneficial way forward,” Jain informed Storyboard18.

A BCCI official informed Sportstar that representatives of Dream11 visited their workplace and knowledgeable of their incapacity to sponsor groups, including that the Board is “exploring other options” as there may be not a lot time left for the Asia Cup.

When Dream11 changed Byju’s because the official Indian cricket workforce’s sponsor in 2023, the three-year deal was reportedly value ₹358 crore.

View on the net actual cash gaming ban

Jain within the interview stated that he wished the federal government would have launched rules as a substitute of outright banning RMGs, giving the instance of how Tamil Nadu mandated KYC, time limitations and participant limits to deal with considerations.

“It (Tamil Nadu laws) addressed all concerns while ensuring government tax revenues and keeping the black market out. I wish similar regulations had been implemented nationally, rather than a ban,” he added.

He added that your complete business was “caught off guard” by the Bill, including that its fast development from being tabled in Parliament to being handed by each the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha “was a complete shock”.

But added, “In hindsight, the industry failed to strongly self-regulate years ago… we never united under one. A few of us signed a code of ethics six months ago, but we should have done much more earlier to protect consumers and keep bad operators out.”