Online Gaming Bill 2025: President Droupadi Murmu gives assent; framework to promote e-sports, regulate sector, curb money games

NEW DELHI: The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which seeks to promote e-sports and regulate the online gaming sector while outlawing money-based games, received President Droupadi Murmu’s assent on Friday.“The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, receives President Droupadi Murmu's assent,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) confirmed.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Following the assent, a notification will be issued to declare the date when the legislation comes into effect. “We also have to draft the rules under the bill and issue those which are required. As the bill is structured, even without rules, there are certain provisions that can come into force immediately. But that is a decision we will take,” MeitY Secretary S Krishnan told ANI earlier.The legislation has been brought in with a dual purpose — encouraging e-sports and online social games while completely prohibiting online money gaming, advertisements, and related financial transactions. Service providers, advertisers, promoters, and financiers of such games will face consequences, though individual players will not be punished.Failing to comply with the law may attract severe penalties, including imprisonment of up to three years and/or fines up to Rs 1 crore for offering or facilitating money games. Repeat offences could lead to imprisonment of up to five years and fines up to Rs 2 crore. Offences will be cognizable and non-bailable, with authorities empowered to search, seize, and arrest without a warrant in some cases.Krishnan acknowledged that the new law could lead to losses of Rs 15,000–20,000 crore annually in GST collections. However, he stressed that revenue considerations were secondary. “When the government has a larger social objective in mind, revenue loss is not the primary consideration. In any case, the bill had the approval and the consent of the Finance Ministry as well,” he said.The government has underscored that the Bill is aimed at preventing addiction, financial losses, and extreme consequences such as suicides linked to money gaming. Reports of money laundering and terror financing have also driven the need for tighter regulation.At the same time, the law seeks to give e-sports legal backing for the first time in India. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will set up a dedicated framework for its promotion, while online social games will also be encouraged.