India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT has released its draft regulations governing all forms of online gaming in the wake of the recent sudden ban on online gambling nationwide.
The Indian Express reports that the Ministry has proposed the establishment of the Online Gaming Authority of India which would oversee the registration and licensing process for companies operating online social games and esports but also determine if any game could be classified as an “online money game” and issue breaches as required.
This follows the sudden passage through the Indian parliament in late August of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025, effectively banning all real-money online gaming including skill games such as fantasy sports and poker. The bill had only been put forward and passed by the lower house earlier that week.
According to the latest report, the draft regulations propose to make violations of the new law a non-bailable offence while making staff across the entire company liable for facilitating any breach.
It also proposes that the new regulator would comprise a chairperson and five other members from various government ministries who would be able to determine whether companies were offering real-money games.
Any company looking to register a platform or games would need to define the category of their product and their revenue model – specifically whether they would generate revenue via advertising, subscription or any other one-time payment rather than accepting traditional wagers.
The regulator would also be able to determine the nature and scale of any penalties handed out to those who breach the Act.
As reported by Inside Asian Gaming, a number of companies including global betting giant Flutter have withdrawn from the Indian market in the wake of recent developments.
RelatedPosts
