<p>Bengaluru: Real Money Gaming (RMG) companies have started suspending games that involve money on their platforms after the government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. WinZo and Nazara Technologies' Pokerbaazi on Friday said they halted RMG operations.</p><p>Social gaming platform WinZO, which has 250 million users engaging with over 100 games in 15 languages, on Friday said in compliance with the new law, they are responsibly withdrawing impacted offerings w.e.f 22nd August 2025.</p>.Why are real money games banned when tobacco and lottery thrive?.<p>"Our vision was simple yet bold: to offer game developers an alternative to restrictive app store monopolies, giving them seamless access to millions of users in India and beyond. Today, WinZO is the trusted partner for developers launching in India and Brazil, a bridge connecting global creators with global consumers, especially for the Indian market. Along the way, we nurtured a vibrant ecosystem, 75,000+ creators producing vernacular gaming content, and a global investor base that believed in India’s potential," it said.</p><p>From Kalaari Capital and Griffin Gaming Partners to Courtside Ventures, Makers Fund, and Steve Pagliuca (Co-Chair of Bain Capital, owner of the Boston Celtics, and early investor in Epic Games), WinZO became their gateway to India. It added in the statement that 'The best is yet to come'.</p><p>Nazara Technologies in a BSE filing said, "In compliance with Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, and pursuant to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, passed by the Parliament on August 21, 2025 and pending enactment, we wish to inform that, as a matter of abundant caution and in due respect of the Government’s mandate, Moonshine Technologies Private Limited (Moonshine/Pokerbaazi), an associate company in which Nazara Technologies Limited holds a 46.07 per cent stake, has ceased offering real money online gaming operations."</p><p>It said that the company will evaluate the future course of action following the enactment of the Bill.</p><p>Gameskraft too paused its ‘Add Cash’ and ‘Gameplay services’ on its rummy apps. The company spokesperson said 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. As a responsible and law-abiding organisation, Gameskraft remains committed to constructive dialogue with policymakers and stakeholders to help shape a future that safeguards players, supports innovation, and unlocks the full potential of India’s digital gaming economy," the spokesperson added.</p><p>Earlier, the government said the rapid spread of online money games has created serious risks for individuals, families and the nation. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said that according to an estimate, 45 crore people are negatively affected by online money games and faced a loss of more than Rs 20,000 crore because of it.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Real Money Gaming (RMG) companies have started suspending games that involve money on their platforms after the government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. WinZo and Nazara Technologies' Pokerbaazi on Friday said they halted RMG operations.</p><p>Social gaming platform WinZO, which has 250 million users engaging with over 100 games in 15 languages, on Friday said in compliance with the new law, they are responsibly withdrawing impacted offerings w.e.f 22nd August 2025.</p>.Why are real money games banned when tobacco and lottery thrive?.<p>"Our vision was simple yet bold: to offer game developers an alternative to restrictive app store monopolies, giving them seamless access to millions of users in India and beyond. Today, WinZO is the trusted partner for developers launching in India and Brazil, a bridge connecting global creators with global consumers, especially for the Indian market. Along the way, we nurtured a vibrant ecosystem, 75,000+ creators producing vernacular gaming content, and a global investor base that believed in India’s potential," it said.</p><p>From Kalaari Capital and Griffin Gaming Partners to Courtside Ventures, Makers Fund, and Steve Pagliuca (Co-Chair of Bain Capital, owner of the Boston Celtics, and early investor in Epic Games), WinZO became their gateway to India. It added in the statement that 'The best is yet to come'.</p><p>Nazara Technologies in a BSE filing said, "In compliance with Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, and pursuant to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, passed by the Parliament on August 21, 2025 and pending enactment, we wish to inform that, as a matter of abundant caution and in due respect of the Government’s mandate, Moonshine Technologies Private Limited (Moonshine/Pokerbaazi), an associate company in which Nazara Technologies Limited holds a 46.07 per cent stake, has ceased offering real money online gaming operations."</p><p>It said that the company will evaluate the future course of action following the enactment of the Bill.</p><p>Gameskraft too paused its ‘Add Cash’ and ‘Gameplay services’ on its rummy apps. The company spokesperson said 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. As a responsible and law-abiding organisation, Gameskraft remains committed to constructive dialogue with policymakers and stakeholders to help shape a future that safeguards players, supports innovation, and unlocks the full potential of India’s digital gaming economy," the spokesperson added.</p><p>Earlier, the government said the rapid spread of online money games has created serious risks for individuals, families and the nation. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said that according to an estimate, 45 crore people are negatively affected by online money games and faced a loss of more than Rs 20,000 crore because of it.</p>
