Indian gaming company A23 reportedly filed a challenge to the country’s ban on online money-based games in the High Court of Karnataka on 28 August. The company seeks to have the ban declared unconstitutional when applied to games of skill; the government had not responded at the time of the source’s account.
The case could test how India’s ban applies to online games that A23 classifies as skill-based.
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India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology finalised rules in April distinguishing esports and permitted social games from online real money gaming, which has been prohibited. The legislation was passed last summer, and the Regulation of Online Gambling Rules 2026 came into force on 1 May alongside the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025. A new Online Gaming Authority of India will classify games and oversee compliance and enforcement.
Regulatory figures cited in reporting show an average of 594 offshore betting advertisements monthly in the eight months before the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act passed in August 2025, rising to 795 after the ban took effect. ASCI reviewed approximately 10,000 advertisements in FY 2025/2026, with more than 97% of detected violations occurring online.
India’s Supreme Court upheld Tamil Nadu and Karnataka laws prohibiting online wagering for money or stakes, ruling on 27 May that staking money on a game’s uncertain outcome constitutes betting even when skill is involved. The judgment reverses lower-court rulings that had struck down the amendments; the source says the separate 2025 national online gaming law also faces industry challenges.
The UK High Court extended interim protection for Spribe in its dispute with two Georgian companies named Aviator LLC and Malta-based Aviator Studios. The companies cannot add the rival game on platforms in Colombia, Serbia or Romania while the case proceeds, and must give advance notice before launches in Canada or Italy. The judge said the similar names and logos were very likely to confuse customers; the order does not decide infringement or unfair competition.
The UK High Court has extended interim protection for game developer Spribe, restricting the expansion of a rival Aviator game while their dispute proceeds. The order applies to two Georgian companies named Aviator LLC and Malta-based Aviator Studios companies.
The UK High Court granted Spribe an interim injunction on 1 August preventing Aviator LLC from launching its own Aviator game in the UK, the company said. Spribe said the order followed Aviator LLC’s announced plan to release a game under that name; the companies are also involved in legal proceedings in multiple jurisdictions.