Pitchside is free for every manager to play. There are no entry fees, no cash prizes, and no in-app currency that converts to money. The only money that ever moves is a subscription paid by whoever organizes the league — and that has nothing to do with how anyone's team performs.
Bans real-money online games nationally — including fantasy sports — with no exemption for skill-based games. Penalties for offering or facilitating a banned game run up to 3 years' imprisonment and a ₹1 crore fine. The prohibition also reaches third parties who "facilitate" a banned game, not only whoever collects the stakes directly.
Pitchside's subscription-only model — no player stakes, no payouts, not even as an org-side opt-in — is built specifically to sit outside the Act's "online money game" definition. We keep it that way by never building the features that would put us inside it, not just by choosing not to use them.
Read the Act on meity.gov.in ↗This page is general information about how Pitchside is built, not legal advice. Laws change and vary by jurisdiction — organizers should confirm their own obligations with independent counsel, particularly outside India.