New Delhi, Sept. 1 -- The ban on real money gaming has begun to take a toll on jobs, even as the Union IT ministry stands firm against the sector it says causes losses, addiction and social harm.

While Games24x7 and Baazi Games began rolling out the layoffs on Monday, Mobile Premier League sacked half of its staff a day earlier. Dream11, the country's largest gaming operator, is yet to announce its plans so far, though its founder has previously said the ban would slash its revenue.

Games24x7, India's third-largest money gaming platform, and Baazi Games, backed by publicly listed Nazara Technologies, are reducing staff by half, three people aware of the matter said. The two companies have begun communicating the decision to employees gr...