SC to hear Dream 11 case ahead of IPL

Jubilee News Desk

New Delhi. A three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde is expected to hear tomorrow on March 6, a special leave petition filed by the Maharashtra government against an order of the Bombay High Court holding that fantasy sports platform Dream11 is a game of skill and is paying GST correctly.

The Bombay High Court had passed an order in the favour of Dream 11 which has been challenged in the apex court hearing of which is scheduled for Friday.

According to the Maharashtra government, Dream11 has evaded over ₹2000 crores worth of GST by not paying tax on the entry fees of each fantasy sports contest. The petitioner has also claimed that Dream11 is a website that offers betting on sports contests. Social activist Avinash Mehrotra has filed an intervention application claiming that fantasy sports and other online gaming websites offer gambling services.

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Dream 11 has been one of the top sports fantasy app. of the country which started in 2008 but gained popularity after several celebrity players endorsed it. Dream11 provides a fantasy gaming platform for multiple sports such as cricket, football, basketball, kabaddi and hockey.

It is an online game where users create a virtual team of real-life players and earn points based on the performances of these players in real matches. A user who scores the maximum points in his joined contest attains the first rank on the leader-board. Dream11 offers free and paid contests. A user has to pay a certain fee to join a contest and can win real cash.

In March 2019, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), announced Dream11 as the Official Partner for the VIVO Indian Premier League . The four-year exclusive partnership started with IPL 2019 season.

Former Indian Cricket Captain M S Dhoni is the brand ambassador of Dream 11 and launched the “Dimaag se Dhoni” media campaign during the 2018 Indian Premier League.

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