The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) notified the rules to operationalise the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025, on Wednesday. The rules shut the doors entirely on the real-money gaming industry.
India Notifies Rules To Shut Out Real-Money Games. Will It Work?India Notifies Rules To Shut Out Real-Money Games. Will It Work?India Notifies Rules To Shut Out Real-Money Games. Will It Work?
In effect from May 1, the rules make a clear distinction between games played for fun and those played for money—and only the former make the cut. As IT Secretary S Krishnan put it during a press briefing, online money gaming “cannot be registered or recognised” under the Act.
This is a significant shift from what parts of the industry had hoped for. Over 2,500 stakeholders had, in consultations, pushed for a broader definition of online gaming—one that could accommodate formats involving real money. The final rules reject that approach, signalling a more cautious, risk-averse stance from the government.
Casual and social games are largely left alone, with the government opting for what it calls a “light-touch” approach. E-sports, however, sit somewhere in between—recognised, but still subject to closer oversight.
What the rules say?
A new regulator
At the centre of the framework is a newly created Online Gaming Authority. Headed by an additional secretary-rank officer, it brings together representatives from multiple ministries—Home Affairs, Financial Services, Information and Broadcasting, Legal Affairs, Youth Affairs and Sports, and Telecommunications. The idea is to treat online gaming not just as a tech issue, but as something that cuts across finance, law enforcement, media, and sport.
When games are reviewed
The authority is not meant to vet every game in the market. Instead, it steps in selectively. A game may be taken up for review if the authority chooses to examine it on its own, if an e-sports body applies for registration, or if the central government flags a particular category of games. In practice, this means most social and casual games will continue to operate without needing any formal approval.
How games are classified
The core of the framework lies in how games are classified. The authority will look at whether a game involves any form of payment—fees, deposits, or stakes—and whether players are participating with the expectation of winning money or something of equivalent value. That expectation of gain becomes the key dividing line. If it exists, the game is likely to fall outside what the law permits.
Timeline for decisions
Once a game is taken up for review, the authority has 90 days to arrive at a decision. This decision applies not just to the game itself but also to the entity offering it—meaning the same game, if released by a different company, would not automatically be treated the same way.
E-sports in a grey zone
E-sports continue to occupy an in-between space. They are not treated the same as casual games and will require registration under the Act. Their recognition will involve both the Department of Legal Affairs and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, with the government also looking at global signals—such as the inclusion of e-sports in events like the Asian Games—while shaping its approach.
User safety rules
Alongside classification, the rules also introduce a layer of user protection. Platforms are expected to put in place safeguards such as age verification, parental controls, and limits on how long users can play.
Longer validity for approvals
For the limited set of games that do go through the registration process, the rules offer a longer runway. Approvals will now be valid for 10 years, up from the five years proposed in earlier drafts.
How the rules plan to plug enforcement gaps
India has banned betting apps before, but as Decode’s past reporting shows, they rarely vanish—they adapt. From Aviator’s deepfake celebrity endorsements and the surge of cricket betting apps during the IPL season to the sprawling offshore operations of the Mahadev app, enforcement has often had to play catch-up.
The new rules attempt to address this by focusing on the financial backbone of these platforms. Enforcement will hinge on tracking transaction patterns—such as frequent or high-value payments linked to gaming apps—which is why banks and financial institutions have been brought into the compliance framework. The inclusion of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the authority is also meant to strengthen this approach.
On the ground, the rules also expand who can investigate. Cases involving hosting, advertising, or facilitating financial transactions for such games can now be handled by cyber police stations and district-level cyber units, instead of being limited to state-level authorities.
Whether this tighter net translates into lasting disruption remains to be seen. Past trends suggest that while restrictions may slow these networks down, they often find new routes—through mirror sites, surrogate ads, influencer tie-ups, Telegram funnels, and alternative payment channels.
