NEW DELHI — India’s Parliament has passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, with the Rajya Sabha giving its approval today. The landmark legislation aims to foster a healthy online gaming ecosystem while cracking down on harmful online money games.
The new law seeks to protect the public, particularly youth and vulnerable populations, from the negative social, economic, and psychological effects of online gambling. Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that online money gaming has become a “public health menace,” with many families facing financial distress. He cited an estimate that around 450 million people lose approximately ₹20,000 crore annually to these games.
E-sports and Online Social Games: The government will actively promote these forms of gaming, recognizing them as skill-based activities with social and competitive benefits.
Online Money Games: The bill imposes a complete ban on the offering, operation, or facilitation of online money games. Violators of this law face a penalty of up to three years of imprisonment, a fine of up to ₹1 crore, or both.
The new legislation also provides for the appointment of an Online Gaming Authority, which will be responsible for policy support, strategic development, and regulatory oversight of the sector. The authority’s main objective is to ensure that the online gaming industry operates transparently and ethically, without causing harm to its users.
