Dream Sports, the parent company of fantasy sports giant Dream11, is going through the toughest time in its history. This happened after the Indian government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which banned all real-money games across the country. Since Dream11 was built mostly on paid fantasy contests, the ban hit the company very hard.

According to CEO and co-founder Harsh Jain, Dream Sports lost 95% of its revenue overnight, and profits dropped to zero. Many people in the industry thought the company would respond with mass layoffs, but Jain has assured employees that no one will lose their job. He said Dream Sports has enough funds to keep paying salaries for at least two years. “If we lay off talent, we should shut down,” Jain told his staff, making it clear that employees are the company’s biggest strength.

Instead of reducing its workforce, Dream Sports is changing direction with a new plan called Dream11 3.0. The new strategy focuses on: As part of its new strategy, Dream Sports plans to expand free-to-play fantasy formats to keep users engaged on the platform.

At the same time, the company will focus on generating revenue through advertising and partnerships instead of real-money contests. Beyond this, Dream Sports is also exploring new areas such as AI-driven tools, gaming studios, fintech, original content, and live sports experiences, aiming to build a more diverse and sustainable business model.

To save costs, the company will spend less on marketing and sponsorships. Employees who were earlier working on real-money fantasy games are being moved into these new projects so that their skills are not wasted. Harsh Jain described himself as a “delusional optimist,” but he believes that Dream Sports can rebuild and come back stronger.

The company has also decided not to fight the government’s ban in court. Instead, it wants to adapt to the new rules and innovate within the legal framework. For now, Dream11’s paid fantasy games are gone, but the platform is still running in a free-to-play format. Whether the new approach works will decide if Dream11 can continue as a big name in India’s sports-tech industry.