The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued the promotion and regulation of the Act on Online Gaming Games, which is a proposal of the rules 2025 – its enforcement – for consultation on Thursday, October 2, 2025. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Istockphoto
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued the promotion and regulation of the Act on Online Game Games, which is a proposal of the rules 2025 – its recovery – for consultation on Thursday (October 2, 2025) in the evening. The law, which passed during the monsoon meeting of parliament, prohibits online games Real Money Games (RMG) in India and includes games like poker, Rummy and Fantasy Sports.
Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said earlier that the law would be announced and forced 1 October, with a qualifier that RMG would be awarded for some time. The proposal of the rules published on Thursday set out the framework for recognizing e-sports and promotion of “online social games”, in addition to solving sanctions for failure to comply with the ban on playing real money.
“These proposal rules were framed under Section 19 of the Prog Act, which received the President’s consent and was announced in the Indian Bulletin 22 August 2025,” the IT Ministry said in an explanatory note. By the end of October, the proposal of the rules is ready for comment and the IT Ministry said it does not publish any inputs it receives: “It allows persons to present feedback… freely without hesitation”.
The Draft Rules Provide Enabling Provisions to Encourage Structured Growth of Legitimate E Sports and Social Gaming Ecosystems; Lays Down and Framework for Determination of An Online Game As Online Money Game or Otherwise; Prescribes the Framework for Recognition Legitimate E-Sports and Online Social Games;
The design of the rules does not mention the date of recovery – technically pushes the ban on RMG on the subsequent announcement. Practically, however, all registered RMG operators have already terminated their operations in the country. This proposal includes a saving bank rule from liability if they facilitate the refund of deposits made before the law is in force.
Game regulation
Esports, which the law tried to promote when forbidding RMG, will be managed by the Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports, while “social games” defined as any game that does not promise users money remuneration for payment of money will not require registration, although the device will be available. This provides some relief for video games and has been saving them – from any regulatory burden.
However, the government left the door open to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to “issue a Code of Practice or Instructions (for Games) for recreational, educational, skills development or other purposes to ensure safe and age corresponding to social game content”. The Ministry of I & B is already managing the framework of content regulation according to IT rules, 2021 for streaming services and supervising cable television through a similar set of rules.
Gaming
The government will set up India’s online game authority according to the law that will function as a “digital office”, such as the Appellate Committee for a complaint that will hear the dismissal of social media users facing censorship or trying to stop content on platforms. Another secretary of the IT Ministry would be chaired by the body and three members of the common secretary would be members drawn from ministries of information and broadcasting, youth and sports and financial services. Two other members would have at least a director in the Union government with legal experience.
OGAI would “maintain and publish and publish national online social games and an e-sports register”, which would have details of registered ESports companies as well as a catalog of games that were considered RMG (and therefore forbidden). It would also be authorized to hear complaints and impose penalties under the law. The appellate body would also be established to hear the calls of Ogai’s orders.
The OGAI registration form would include details such as “category”, such as recreational or educational games, and “age group for which online game is to be offered”.
Published – 3 October 2025 01:07 IS
