India’s parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025, which still requires presidential approval before taking effect. Operators are reportedly seeking to challenge the measure and have called for distinctions between game types, including skill-based games and opinion trading.
The bill could restrict real-money gaming operators, while the reported challenge may affect how its provisions proceed.
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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 will list a challenge to the real-money gaming ban in January, Chief Justice Surya Kant said after an appeal by operator Head Digital Works. The case is expected to go before a three-judge bench; the law prohibits platforms offering money-based gaming and related services.
India’s federal ban on real-money games is disrupting the online gaming industry, and companies are concerned that strict penalties could also affect activities considered legal, including esports and social gaming. The commentary says the law has prompted operators to leave the country, while questions remain about the scope of its impact on those sectors.
India’s law banning real-money gambling took effect on 1 October 2025. A promotional commentary argues the ban could reduce investment in sport and push users towards offshore gambling, while citing estimates of the sector’s former tax contribution and potential economic gains from legalisation.