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Dream11 bets on broking: Fantasy gaming giant eyes pivot to stock trading
Stock broking gives Dream11 a pathway to re-engage its vast digital audience while entering a sector that’s witnessing explosive expansion.
Dream11, backed by Tencent and Tiger Global, had to suspend its real-money gaming operations earlier this year, resulting in a 95% drop in its primary revenue.
After a steep fall triggered by stringent regulations on real-money gaming, fantasy sports platform Dream11 is charting a new course — into the world of stock broking. The company, which once dominated India’s online fantasy sports landscape, is reportedly preparing to launch a wealth management and trading arm dubbed “Dream Money”, marking its formal entry into India’s fast-growing retail investment market.
According to a Mint report citing sources familiar with the matter, Dream11’s founders see this move as a “natural adjacency” — a way to leverage its massive user base of over 260 million to diversify revenue streams. The pivot follows the government’s Online Gaming Bill, which effectively tightened the rules around real-money and betting-style games, crippling the fantasy gaming industry’s core business model.
Dream11, backed by Tencent and Tiger Global, had to suspend its real-money gaming operations earlier this year, resulting in a 95% drop in its primary revenue. The platform has since transitioned to a free-to-play, ad-supported model, but insiders say the company’s leadership recognized early that advertising alone wouldn’t sustain long-term growth.
Stock broking gives Dream11 a pathway to re-engage its vast digital audience while entering a sector that’s witnessing explosive expansion. The plan is to build Dream Money as a discount brokerage platform, competing directly with Zerodha, Angel One, and Groww.
If the plans materialize, Dream11 would join a new generation of tech-driven fintech players aiming to simplify wealth creation for India’s young, mobile-first demographic. The company’s extensive experience in gamified digital engagement could also give it an edge in making investing more interactive and accessible.
India’s investment landscape has seen rapid evolution in recent years. Retail participation in the stock market has surged, aided by easier digital onboarding and commission-free trading platforms. Yet, market penetration remains modest — only one in 12 Indians is a registered investor with the National Stock Exchange (NSE). For Dream11, that gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity.
By rebranding itself from a fantasy gaming pioneer to a financial services player, Dream11 is betting on a future where its loyal user base trades not just fantasy points, but real stocks. The success of this pivot could redefine how India’s biggest gaming brand reinvents itself in a post-regulation era.
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