Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025

1. Overview
• The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 20 August 2025 and passed the
Rajya Sabha on 21 August 2025. It received the President’s assent on 22 August 2025, becoming law.
2. Primary Objectives
• Ban real-money online games—across platforms involving fantasy sports, rummy, poker, lotteries, betting—in order to curb addiction, financial distress, fraud, money laundering, and potential use for terror or illegal financing.
• Promote e-sports as a legitimate competitive sport, with government-led support such as training academies, research centers, and inclusion in national sports policy.
• Encourage social and educational games—categorize and register age-appropriate games focused on skills, culture, education, and digital literacy.
3. Regulatory Mechanism
• Establish a National Gaming Authority (or Online Gaming Authority) to register, categorize, and regulate online games; oversee compliance; handle complaints; issue guidelines.
offences
• Offering/facilitating real-money games: up to 3 years imprisonment and/or ₹1 crore fine.
• Advertising such games: up to 2 years imprisonment and/or ₹50 lakh fine.
• Financial transactions relating to such games: same as offering/facilitating (3 years / ₹1 crore).
• Repeat offences: enhanced penalties—3 to 5 years imprisonment and/or ₹2 crore fine.
• Cognisable and non-bailable offences.
• Violators may face blocking of platforms under IT Act, 2000, and authorities can search, seize, and arrest without warrant in certain cases.
5. Liability
• Corporate officers may be held liable unless they can prove due diligence; independent directors uninvolved in decisions are exempt.
• Strengthens national security by preventing misuse of gaming platforms for illegal financial and communication activities.
6. Impact
• The ban may result in job losses, company closures, and significant revenue decline: estimates include over 20,000 job losses, 300+ company shutdowns, and ad-spend losses exceeding ₹17,000 crore.
• Industry fears that a blanket approach may push players to underground or offshore markets, harming legitimate platforms and innovation.
• PM Modi lauded the bill for promoting e-sports and safeguarding society; IT Minister highlighted its role in making India a global creative hub.