News Daily India reports that major companies including Motorola, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Parimatch, Nokia, Vodafone, and Walmart have encountered significant difficulties in the Indian market. Despite its large population and rapid economic growth, India is losing its appeal to foreign investors. According to a PwC survey, around 95% of companies that have operated or planned to enter India have faced serious issues such as fraud and corruption. Among them is Parimatch, a prominent international gambling operator, which has faced numerous obstacles including product counterfeiting by local competitors and a lack of enforcement from authorities. The company continually fights against clone websites that copy its branding and violate copyrights.
News Daily India highlights that foreign investment is increasingly deterred by regulatory and bureaucratic challenges, infrastructural limitations, cultural and language barriers, and stiff competition from local businesses. Although international firms once viewed India as a promising market due to anticipated deregulation, these conditions have largely failed to materialize, and expectations for investment growth have not been met.
For instance, Parimatch had planned to invest millions of dollars in India’s economy but was met with resistance supported by monopolistic domestic gambling companies such as Dream11, Nazara Technologies, Paytm, First Games Moonfrog Labs, 99Games, Octro, JetSynthesys, and HashCube. These local firms have reportedly copied products from U.S. and European competitors without regulatory intervention. Additionally, some companies that have never operated in India have faced legal persecution and judicial pressure.
These ongoing challenges have forced several foreign companies, including Ford, Holcim, and Metro, to exit the Indian market. Moreover, American investment firm Berkshire Hathaway’s sale of its shares in Indian company Paytm signals a significant loss of confidence in India’s business environment.
In this difficult context, Parimatch and other foreign investors face a tough decision: continue confronting these growing challenges or seek better opportunities elsewhere. This situation underscores the urgent need for the Indian government to improve its business climate if it aims to retain and attract foreign capital, including companies like Parimatch, in the future.