India has officially banned all online money gaming after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 received Presidential assent. Offenders face strict jail terms and heavy fines, while e-sports and social gaming will be promoted.
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 has now officially become law after President Droupadi Murmu gave her approval on Friday. This comes just a day after the Rajya Sabha passed the Bill within 26 minutes, following the Lok Sabha’s clearance in only seven minutes, despite opposition protests regarding procedure.
The new law brings a complete ban on all online money gaming services across India. Anyone found running such services could face strict punishment, including up to three years in jail and fines going as high as Rs 1 crore.
Even those who promote or advertise online money gaming platforms will not be spared — the punishment for them can be up to two years in jail along with fines up to Rs 50 lakh.
Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, explained in Parliament why the government had to act strongly.
He said that people were facing devastating losses due to these platforms, sometimes even losing their life savings.
“From time to time, society grapples with social evils. In these circumstances, it is the duty of the government and the parliament to probe and make laws to control them,”
Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha.
The minister also presented worrying government data showing that nearly 450 million players in the country have already lost more than Rs 20,000 crore to online money gaming platforms.
The Centre has described online money gaming as a growing “serious social and public health issue” with visible harmful effects on society.
The government stressed that the negative impact of such games is clear and urgent steps had to be taken to protect citizens.
At the same time, the law has made an important distinction between harmful gambling-style gaming and the positive side of the gaming industry. The Bill encourages and supports the growth of e-sports and online social gaming, which do not involve betting or money.
By doing so, the government aims to create an environment where India can become a global hub for game development and innovation.
