Mumbai: Dream Sports, the parent company of fantasy sports leader Dream11, has confirmed it will retain its workforce despite a massive revenue hit following India’s recent ban on online real-money games.

CEO Harsh Jain assures job security

Co-founder and CEO Harsh Jain stated that the company will not resort to layoffs even though 95 per cent of Dream11’s revenues and all of its profits vanished overnight. Speaking to Moneycontrol on Monday, Jain emphasised, “We are not interested in doing any layoffs. All the talent here is safe.”

The assurance comes in the wake of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which criminalises the offering and financing of real-money games, imposing penalties of up to five years in prison for violators.

Revenue collapse and future strategy

Dream11, which has been one of India’s largest online fantasy sports platforms, had to cease its real-money operations immediately after the ban. Jain revealed that Dream Sports is now shifting its focus to AI-driven products, sports content, commerce, and fan engagement.

“The only way to deal with 95 per cent of your revenue being gone is to build new products that you can monetise in the future. That will always start with talent,” he said, confirming that the company has 500 engineers who will be redeployed across different verticals.

Diversification plans

Dream Sports will focus on its existing businesses, including:

  • FanCode – a sports content and merchandise platform

  • DreamSetGo – a premium sports travel experience service

  • Dream Game Studios – a gaming development division

  • Dream Sports Foundation – a non-profit arm supporting sports initiatives

    • Additionally, the company is piloting Dream Money, a new fintech platform that will offer gold purchase options from ₹10 per day and fixed deposits starting at ₹1,000. The app is currently in the testing phase under the entity Dream Suite Platform Private Limited.

    Financial resilience

    Despite the loss, Jain asserted that the company has sufficient cash reserves to sustain operations for the next couple of years. Dream Sports reported an operational revenue of ₹6,384.49 crore in FY23, a sharp rise from ₹3,841 crore in FY22.

    The company has also informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that it may not be able to continue its title sponsorship due to the financial setback.

    Conclusion

    As Dream Sports navigates one of its toughest phases, its commitment to employee security and plans to pivot towards AI-led innovation signal a determined effort to rebuild its business around sports engagement, fintech, and content commerce.