Cricketing titans in India hunt for title supporter as betting prohibition looms nearby
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has initiated a bidding process for the Lead Sponsor Rights for the Indian National cricket team, following the approval of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025. This act, which is awaiting the president's signature, is set to completely ban online gambling in India.
The bidding process, which is open from September 2, 2025, to September 12, 2025, involves an Invitation for Expression of Interest (IEOI). Potential bidders for the sponsorship are restricted from being tobacco, alcohol, betting, gaming, and crypto companies. Bidders and their group companies are also prohibited from being engaged in online money gaming, betting, or gambling services in India or anywhere in the world.
Additionally, bidders are not allowed to have any investment or ownership interest in any Person engaged in betting or gambling services in India. This ban on online gambling has resulted in a search for a new title sponsor for India's National cricket team, and has initiated irreversible processes in the industry.
The approval of the act has put India on track to completely ban online gambling, a move that has already led to job cuts, with hundreds of people being laid off over the last months. Other real money gaming operators are focusing on diversifying their offering and engaging in new business ventures, while some are considering entering new jurisdictions.
Interested bidders need to pay a non-refundable fee of INR 5,00,000 or approximately $5,700 to show their interest via the IEOI. The deadline for submission of bid documents is set for September 16, 2025. Companies that specialize in fraud, gambling addiction, or cryptocurrency, or have invested in these areas, are excluded from participating in the sponsorship tender.
Furthermore, alcohol products, tobacco companies, and other companies likely to offend public morals, such as pornography, are prohibited from participating in the bidding process. The banning of online gambling has been a significant move in India, and its effects on the industry are being keenly observed.
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