‘Rush scaled to $500M + in gross revenue in just 4 years': Kavin Bharti Mittal says Rush to exit India after RMG ban

Rush, a casual real-money gaming (RMG) platform from Bharti Airtel scion Kavin Bharti Mittal's Hike, is exiting India completely to go all in on the United States and other global markets, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, Mittal said on August 21.

The decision comes shortly after the Indian government's online gaming bill was passed by both Houses of Parliament on August 21.

The new bill prohibits online money games, where a user makes a deposit, directly or indirectly, with the expectation of earning winnings on that deposit.

Kavin Bharti Mittal says Rush is exiting India

“After 4 years building Rush in India, we’ve made a tough decision: exit India completely and go all-in on the US & global markets. Why? The Govt of India has made its stance clear: Real Money Gaming will not be allowed. Another potential GST bump to 40% incoming, years of regulatory ambiguity, and now a bill rushed through to ban all RMG without industry consultation. The message is loud and clear. We are disappointed. Not just for ourselves, but for the entrepreneurs, developers & teams who poured their hearts and billions of dollars into building this sector,” said Kavin.

He shared that he respects the government for taking a moral stance on what it believes is best for society. He also admitted that policy-making is complex and involves hard trade-offs.

“What we wish: that this decision had been made sooner, with clearer communication. It would have saved billions in investment and avoided leaving the industry in limbo,” Kavin, the son of Sunil Bharti Mittal, said in a post on LinkedIn. 

He said that this isn’t the “first” signal. India also did not embrace crypto, “leaving the promise of Web3 ownership — the very foundation of what we’re building — uncertain here,” the entrepreneur added.

“In India, Rush scaled to $500M+ in gross revenue in just 4 short years,” Mittal said. 

Now, the company has a big new challenge ahead to expand in the global online gaming industry.

“Can we scale our US/global business to be bigger than India — and do it within 18–24 months?” Mittal reflected. 

He concluded the post with a strong belief. “We believe the answer is yes. It’s time to build the Gaming Nation.”

Also read: “We killed a sector that pumped in ₹27,000 Cr of GST annually": Anupam Mittal opens up on real-money gaming ban (startuppedia.in)