The Dice That Changed Destiny: A Tale of Chausar from the Mahabharata
Long before casinos and mobile gaming apps, in the grand courts of ancient India, a game of dice sealed the fate of empires. This wasn’t just a casual pastime — it was Chausar, a game woven deeply into the threads of fate, pride, and betrayal. In the epic Mahabharata, it was this very game that triggered the exile of the Pandavas and eventually, the great war of Kurukshetra.
Today, if we were to look at Chausar through a modern legal lens, the debate would be intense. Is it a game of chance or skill? Much like Teen Patti or Rummy, it has elements of both. The randomness of dice defines chance, while the choice of moves speaks to skill. Interestingly, modern Ludo carries the same DNA. You can’t control the dice, but strategic moves — chasing, retreating, or sacrificing a piece — can outwit opponents. Yet legally, anything where outcomes are primarily determined by luck leans toward being classified as a game of chance, and thus subject to gaming regulations. However, chance dominates, much like the real-money games flooding India’s digital landscape.
IPL’s New MVPs: Dream11, My11Circle, and the Business of Betting
From being IPL’s title sponsor to saturating screens with celebrity-led ads, platforms like Dream11, My11Circle, PokerBaazi, and Zupee have become impossible to ignore. But their presence in mainstream sports raises a question — are we watching cricket or a cleverly disguised casino? The branding is sleek. The gameplay is marketed as skill.
Beyond IPL, mobile apps and esports betting (e.g., Betway) draw millions, often hosted offshore to skirt regulations. These platforms market themselves as skill-based, but their model mirrors gambling: money goes in, most lose, a few win, and the house always profits.
Legal but Not Lawful? The State vs. Nation Conflict
India’s Public Gambling Act of 1867 makes betting illegal. However, the Supreme Court in 2021 ruled that fantasy sports involving skill could be legal. This opened the floodgates.
But here’s the twist: gambling is a state subject under the Constitution. That means each state can decide what’s legal. Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka have either banned or tried to ban online gaming with monetary stakes. Yet, these platforms operate freely across most of India, and are even tax-paying businesses under the 28% GST regime. In the six months after the new GST rate was introduced (October 2023 to March 2024), collections from online gaming soared by 412%, reaching ₹6,909 crore, up from ₹1,349 crore in the preceding six months .
So how is something illegal in some states still raking in profits and airtime across national events like the IPL?
It’s a patchwork legality. Platforms geofence restricted states, but with VPNs and multiple accounts, enforcement is weak. The burden falls on users and, sometimes, grieving families.
The Real Cost: Families, Youth, and Mental Health
The impact of online gaming disguised as “entertainment” is devastating. In Bihar, a 22-year-old IIT aspirant fell into ₹96 lakh debt after getting hooked on gaming platforms, eventually stealing from loved ones to stay afloat. In Tamil Nadu, a teenager died by suicide, with online gaming addiction cited as a likely cause. A 15-year-old in Rajasthan required psychiatric care after playing for 15 hours a day, leading to hallucinations and a breakdown in mental stability.
A LocalCircles survey revealed that 66% of Indian parents believe their children are addicted to online games or social media. Nearly half observed behavioral issues like aggression and lethargy. These are not outliers. These are signals.
Stars, Screens, and Seduction: The Celebrity Effect
Endorsements are not subtle. They’re loud, glamorized, and influential. Shah Rukh Khan has been the face of A23 (a rummy platform), telling millions to “Chalo Saath Khelein”. From Virat Kohli to Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor and several other celebrities from Bollywood and cricket are endorsing a fantasy sports platfomrs. These ads usually feature high-energy music, colorful animations, and calls to action like “play now and win big.” To a young viewer, it doesn’t look like betting, it looks like success.
What’s the Message We’re Sending?
The IPL 2025 season has shattered viewership records across both television and digital platforms, underscoring the tournament’s unparalleled reach.
On television, the opening weekend set a new benchmark with 253 million viewers, reflecting an impressive 14% increase in reach, while the total watch-time minutes surged to a staggering 2,770 crore minutes. This not only highlights the growing appeal of IPL but also the increasing importance of sponsorships and brand associations in reaching such a massive audience.
Meanwhile, the digital audience also saw significant growth, with JioHotstar experiencing a 40% increase in viewership compared to the previous season. In fact, the opening weekend alone attracted 1.37 billion viewers, bringing the IPL’s digital footprint to new heights.
These numbers speak volumes about the expanding role of real-money gaming platforms in the sporting landscape and how these partnerships align with the ever-growing fan engagement within the IPL ecosystem.
By allowing such platforms to dominate IPL advertising, what are we telling millions of impressionable fans? That quick money is cool? That gambling is skill? That the government is okay with it, so it must be safe? The line between entertainment and exploitation is razor-thin here.
The Questions India Must Ask!
Profit Over Principles?
Governments, too, benefit from these platforms. GST collection on online gaming has surged after the 28% tax slab was applied. Advertising revenue from IPL, where a large chunk now comes from gaming platforms, is too lucrative to ignore. But can we, as a society, prioritize fiscal gain over psychological and social well-being?
Should platforms mimicking gambling be called “games of skill”? If states ban them, why isn’t there a national law? Should celebrities face scrutiny for endorsing addictive platforms? Can we trust ad standards when profits clash with ethics? Government GST revenue and IPL ad income, lucrative but at what cost?
From Chausar’s ancient dice to Dream11’s digital bets, the stakes of gaming have always been high. Today’s real-money platforms aren’t just a legal grey zone — they’re a societal minefield. Addiction, debt, and broken families demand we act. By blurring entertainment and exploitation, we risk betting on the wrong future. It’s time to roll the dice on regulation, awareness, and accountability, before the house wins again.
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