Yes, fantasy sports is legal in India! Multiple High Court rulings over the past years have classified fantasy gaming as a ‘game of skill’, and aren’t dependent on the outcome of the match. They fall outside the ambit of sports gambling - which is illegal in India. Fantasy sports requires skill as participants need some amount of prior knowledge about the sport in order to win, and also because the revenue model isn’t dependent on match results.

The legality of fantasy gaming was debated in the Mumbai, Punjab and Rajasthan High Courts and in all three cases, the defending fantasy gaming company won the case, with one of the judgements reading, “The petitioner has lost sight of the fact that the result of the fantasy game contest on the platform of Dream11 Fantasy Pvt. Ltd is not at all dependent on winning or losing of any particular team in the real-world game. Thus, no betting or gambling is involved in their fantasy games.”

However, The laws relating to fantasy sports games in India are different from state to state. Fantasy gaming is currently banned in Assam, Odisha and Telangana as per state orders.