Started in 2018 by Sai Srinivas and Shubh Malhotra, MPL offers more than 60 free-to-play games across categories such as board games, card games, puzzle, and casual games on its Android and iOS apps. The firm claims to have more than 90 million registered users https://biglittlebookaward.in/reload/ across Asia, Europe, and North America. Africa is home to the fastest growing and most youthful population in the world, with tech-savvy youngsters that have more access to smartphones increasingly using their devices to bridge gaps in services.

Industry Response

India’s advertising industry could be staring at a Rs 4,500 crore setback, with the government’s proposed ban on real money online gaming threatening to pull the plug on one of the fastest-growing categories of ad spenders. From the Indian Premier League (IPL) to regional sports leagues and prime-time television, gaming platforms have become key advertisers—and their absence could leave a gaping hole in media revenues. As India mulls a proposal to levy a 28% tax on the turnover of online skill gaming, a leading law firm cites international best practices in Goods & Services Tax (GST) to suggest the move may be counterproductive.

Challenges in GST Implementation

• M-League’s payment gateway costs rose 69.4 percent to $20.1 million in FY25, from $11.9 million in FY25.
• Singla recalled how during Covid, when people were home, gaming saw a huge surge in users, and advertisers followed.
• Gaming and esports are both fast growing consumer segments, benefiting from rapid advancements in technology as well as broader and more inclusive audiences.
• The GST rate applicable to online gaming in India is 28% on the full face value for real-money gaming and 18% for e-sports and skill-based games.

“If gaming platforms are forced to exit, the shockwaves won’t stop at the gaming industry,” he added. Gambling company GVC Holdings Plc said it expected full-year net gaming revenue to rise about 9 percent, slightly ahead of its previous estimate, on strong fourth-quarter trading. Use analytics covering the key aspects of your business—including casino hotel operations, revenue management, sales, marketing, restaurant performance, and catering—to resolve issues and find opportunities across properties. “2016 was the breakout year for mobile AR games,” says Lewis Ward, research director of gaming and AR/VR at IDC. He pointed out that although it’s unlikely that VR will be able to replicate that success in 2017, its growth will be rapid; and competitive sports gaming will play a huge role in that growth. The Indian government is working on clarifying the tax structure to ensure fair treatment for the gaming industry while preventing tax evasion.

Moneycontrol has reached out to M-League for a comment and will update once we hear back. The market expanded 12% to $1.8 billion in revenue from a year earlier, outpacing the 2.1% worldwide increase, ADG Technology Inc., a New York-based mobile-gaming publisher known as Carry1st, and San Francisco-based Newzoo LLC said in an annual analysis published Wednesday. Women gamers and developers are gaining prominence, with initiatives like Women in Games and Game Changer’s Coalition launched by UNICEF in Geneva, encouraging greater diversity. Additionally, improved internet access in rural areas is allowing talent from smaller towns to compete on national and global platforms, democratizing access to gaming careers.

As in previous years, spending on iOS games was significantly higher than the Google Play total, and was indeed higher than all Android-based stores put together last year. It may also lead to the infusion of unaccounted black money in the economy, which can be used for illegal activities such as terror financing, money laundering, etc., the white paper says. Platform’s commission/service fee or on gross gaming revenue (total stake value – distributed winnings). A game of skill is one where the outcome is dependent on the expertise, practice, and experience of the player and not merely on chance. Whereas games of chance are treated similarly to betting, gambling, and horse racing.