Starting Jan. 21, 2026, Google Ads will disallow all advertisements for rummy and daily fantasy sports that target players in India, according to Google’s updated country guidance for gambling and games.

Google said the change is meant to “ensure compliance with local legal requirements,” after India passed a sweeping law that bans online real-money gaming and the promotion of those products.

Several Google changes to expect on Jan. 21

In its policy update, Google said it will revise the India-specific section of its Gambling and games policy and, starting Jan. 21, will no longer allow rummy or daily fantasy sports promotions aimed at India.

That is a significant change from Google’s earlier approach. Until now, Google had allowed certain formats, including daily fantasy sports in India, through a certification and compliance process, with rules requiring advertisers to meet licensing and other local requirements.

The change, for operators and affiliates, removes one of the most important customer-acquisition channels in the market, especially for brands that relied on paid search and app campaign inventory to compete during peak sports seasons.

India’s online money-game law

India’s recent crackdown is anchored in the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming legislation passed in August 2025.

Reports at the time stated that the bill targeted online games “played with money,” citing addiction and financial harm risks, and it included penalties such as jail time and fines.

Government materials on the law and its implementation have described a complete ban on online money games, a strict ban on advertising and promotion, and restrictions on payment processing for prohibited platforms. Google’s update effectively aligns its ad rules with that new direction.

Fallout across operators: Dream11, MPL, and Flutter’s Junglee

The ban has already forced major products to either shut down real-money play or pivot to free-to-play versions.

Platforms including Dream11 and Mobile Premier League halted money-based games after the law passed. There were also reports of widespread shutdowns among Indian startups offering real-money formats soon after the bill advanced.

International groups were hit, and rather fiercely. Flutter shuttered its real-money gaming operations in India via Junglee after the law change, and CEO Peter Jackson warned the ban could push players toward unregulated markets.

By Q3, Flutter disclosed the size of the hit. Coverage of the company’s earnings noted a $556 million impairment linked to the India shutdown, and reporting around the same period described layoffs tied to the pullback. On the earnings call, Jackson told analysts Flutter was doing “the lobbying and legal challenges” it could to press for a review.

Why the Google ad ban matters even after the law

Even with real-money play already blocked, paid advertising still mattered for companies trying to keep brand awareness, migrate users to free-to-play formats, or steer traffic to permitted products.

Google’s move also lands against the backdrop of what India’s gaming market could have become. A March 2025 report cited by The Economic Times projected India’s online gaming sector could reach $9.1 billion by 2029, with real-money gaming dominating revenue at the time.

With rummy and fantasy sports ads now cut off on Google, the remaining marketing routes will likely shift toward organic channels, influencer activity that stays inside legal lines, and non-gaming brand partnerships, all while companies wait to see whether legal challenges or policy revisions open any doors.