Newsletter
The Union Cabinet has cleared the Online Gaming Bill, a landmark move to regulate the fast-growing sector and curb illegal betting.
The Online Gaming Bill will regulate digital gaming in India, ban online betting, curb addiction and fraud, tighten oversight of real-money platforms, and let MeitY block illegal sites.
Breaking it down: the draft law bans individuals or companies from running online games where players must pay to join. Ads and transactions for such games will also be stopped, and banks may be barred from processing payments. Any game that requires players to pay a fee or deposit money, whether skill-based or chance-based—will be treated as an “online money game.”
The penalties: offering money games could mean up to three years in jail and fines of ₹1 crore. Advertising them could attract two years and ₹50 lakh, while facilitating payments may invite three years and another ₹1 crore fine.
Worth noting: expected to be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the Bill marks a sweeping regulatory shift for India’s gaming industry, particularly targeting real-money formats that dominate the market.
