On August 22, 2025, India passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, banning all real-money online games, including skill-based titles like online poker and rummy.
The Bill was introduced and enacted in just 48 hours, blindsiding the industry. Operators scrambled to assess the fallout, and the first significant consequence came almost immediately.
Flutter Shuts Down Junglee Operations
In a statement, Flutter Entertainment confirmed that it would cease all real-money operations in India to comply with the new legislation. This decision primarily impacts Junglee Games, which Flutter acquired for $200 million in 2021.
Junglee built its name through titles like Junglee Rummy and Howzat and expanded into poker, merging Junglee Poker with PokerStars India in March 2024 to launch a joint platform. Less than 18 months later, that platform has been forced offline.
Visitors to Junglee sites now see a shutdown notice reading:
“We remain committed to operating responsibly and transparently. In line with the current legal landscape, real-money gaming on our platforms has been discontinued.”
Flutter’s Reaction
Flutter CEO Peter Jackson called the sudden legal shift in India “extremely disappointing.”
“Over the last four years Junglee has invested significantly in its local market, building a workforce of over 1,100 employees to deliver innovative skill-based gaming products to Indian customers. Central to this has been a strategy which prioritizes consumer protections and responsible gaming,” he said.
Jackson warned that the abrupt ban could drive players toward unregulated offshore platforms, leaving them without safeguards while depriving India’s economy of tax revenue and investment.
The timing of the ban is particularly painful for Flutter. The company had projected its Indian business would deliver $200 million in revenue and $50 million in Adjusted EBITDA in 2025, with nearly half of those figures expected in the second half of the year.
What It Means for Poker in India
Although Flutter’s statement centered on Junglee, the shutdown reverberates throughout the Indian poker community. The merged Junglee–PokerStars platform was one of the country’s largest regulated poker sites. Its closure leaves Indian players with zero legal options and raises fears of migration to unsafe offshore markets.
The poker ecosystem in India had been building steadily under recognized operators and partnerships, including one between the World Poker Tour and PokerBaazi. With this came growing investments in technology, sponsorships, and player protection. Flutter’s forced withdrawal marks a major setback in those efforts.
Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.
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