Anupam Mittal, the founder and CEO of Shaadi.com parent People Group, has criticised India’s ban on real-money games. In a post shared on professional networking site LinkedIn, the Shark Tank judge called the government’s proposal “moral policing dressed up as policy.” He warned that the decision could cost the government billions in tax revenue and push users toward black market alternatives. Mittal argued that the ban is counterproductive, comparing it to the ineffective prohibition on products like gutka. He noted that the real-money gaming sector generates significant revenue, including Rs 27,000 crore in GST and Rs 10,000 crore in advertising, while providing legitimate livelihoods.He questioned why the government would ban a whole industry due to the risks of addiction and financial harm, while other risky activities like stock trading and alcohol remain legal. The investor cautioned that the government loses revenue, and users lose protection when such bans are implemented, leading to the rise of black markets. He concluded his post by saying, “Hope we’re not trying to out-ban China,” suggesting that the government is exercising excessive control.

What Anupam Mittal said about ban on real money games

In his LinkedIn post, Mittal wrote: “We banned gutka but have people stopped chewing? 🤷‍♂️India also just banned real-money gaming.In one shot, we killed a sector that– pumped in ₹27,000 cr of GST annually– drove ₹10,000 cr+ of ad revenue– gave thousands a legit livelihood in games of skillWhy? Because many got addicted. Some went broke.Fair concerns but do we ban alcohol because some become alcoholics?Do we ban stock trading because some blow up their savings?Most bans usually have the same outcome 👇👉 Govt loses revenue👉 Users lose protection👉 Black markets win (reportedly 8.3 lakh crore illegal gaming market in India 😱)Short term, this feels like we’ve shot ourselves in the foot.Long term, hopefully it allows real gaming & e-sports to emerge as one of the largest globally.But let’s be honest, right now it looks like moral policing dressed up as policy.Hope we’re not trying to out-ban China 😉”