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

In a recent post on LinkedIn, entrepreneur Anupam Mittal remarked that India has “killed” a sector that had huge potential by placing a ban on real-money gaming.

Anupam Mittal's take on real-money gaming ban

He shared: “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 skill”

Though the government’s intention has been good, Mittal argued that forcefully banning something can’t prevent people from going their way. 

“We banned gutka but have people stopped chewing?” he asked. 

Mittal said that many got addicted or went broke, and hence the ban. He admitted the concerns are fair. 

“But do we ban alcohol because some become alcoholics?” he reasoned.

Even stock trading is not banned because some blow up their savings.

He further shared that most bans lead to the government losing revenue, users losing protection and black markets gaining, as a result.

“Reportedly 8.3 lakh crore illegal gaming market in India,” the Shark Tank India judge said.

He further said that in the short term, it seems to be a win, but in the long term, a ban on gaming prevents an Indian sector that could lead to the global market.

“But let’s be honest, right now it looks like moral policing dressed up as policy,” Mittal said. 

“Hope we’re not trying to out-ban China,” he added while concluding the post and asking people to share their opinion. 

Mittal's recent posts

Recently, the entrepreneur remarked that after years of colonial hangover, India is finally holding an important position in the global economy. Indians are shining brighter than diamonds & building the US economy, he said. 

Lauding the nation’s progress, he added that India is now in a position to engage on its own terms.

“We know we are the world's fastest growing major economy and we’re negotiating accordingly,” the Shaadi.com CEO said.

However, he criticised India’s blind adoption of deep-tech narratives from the West and warned against getting too absorbed in the AI hype.

Also read: India successfully tests Agni-5 missile with 5,000 km strike range (startuppedia.in)