In a stunning blow to India’s booming gaming sector, Mobile Premier League (MPL) is set to lay off a jaw-dropping 60% of its employees in India following the government’s sweeping ban on real-money gaming.
MPL’s Massive Layoff: What’s Happening?
MPL’s co-founder Sai Srinivas Kiran revealed in a confidential internal email that nearly 300 out of 500-600 Indian employees will lose their jobs as the company braces for a future with no real-money gaming revenue from India.
With India accounting for half of MPL’s total revenue, this is a devastating hit — forcing MPL to shrink fast and pivot hard.
Real-Money Gaming Ban Sends Shockwaves
The layoffs come just weeks after President Droupadi Murmu gave the green light to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which bans all online games involving financial stakes in India.
This sweeping crackdown has rocked the entire industry, with giants like Dream11, PokerBaazi, and Zupee also halting real-money operations.
What’s Next for MPL?
With its biggest market effectively shut off, MPL is shifting gears towards free-to-play games and betting big on international markets like the US and Brazil, where real-money gaming remains legal.
But will this pivot be enough to save the company — and thousands of jobs?
Why You Should Care
If you’re a gamer, investor, or employee, MPL’s shake-up signals a new era for India’s online gaming scene — one filled with uncertainty, massive disruption, and potentially fewer jobs.
