India’s government has formed a new central regulator to oversee the prohibition of real money games (RMG).

In August, India’s lawmakers passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gambling Bill 2025, which banned the promotion of RMG due to the perceived negative societal impacts.

MeitY will now oversee Indian online gaming 

Now, the Online Gaming Authority of India, under the Electronics and IT Ministry (MeitY), has been tasked with leading the new era for gaming in the country.

MeitY has also published a draft of ‘The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2025’.

As part of its remit, the authority will be charged with overseeing the recognition and promotion of e-sports and online social games, which have not been included within the ban, as well as safeguarding against the promotion of the prohibited online money games.

New rules define online money games 

Under the terms of a draft bill published by MeitY, online money games are defined as being “played by a user by paying fees, depositing money or other stakes in expectation of winning, which entails monetary and other enrichment in return for money or other stakes”.

Those found to be offering online money games despite the ban can face punishments of up to three years in prison, a fine of up to 10 million rupees (£83,743) or both. There are similar punishments laid out for advertising RMG or facilitating transactions related to the sector.

The length of jail time and scale of financial penalties will increase for repeat offenders.

Online social games and e-sports will now be overseen by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, respectively.

Gaming industry criticised changes in India

The decision to introduce the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gambling Bill 2025 was taken due to concerns surrounding gambling addiction and financial losses caused by these types of games.

It was estimated that 450 million Indian citizens played RMG games each year, and the India Gaming Report 2025 projected the country’s gaming industry to be worth $9.1bn by 2029.

Following the decision, large domestic players such as Dream11 and international operators like Flutter pulled their RMG offerings from the market.

Flutter lamented the lack of consultation with industry stakeholders, and industry bodies have urged the government to consider the economic consequences of passing the law.

At the beginning of September, Reuters reported that Mobile Premier League (MPL) had been forced to reduce its local workforce by 60% in response to the bill.

MeitY has invited feedback and comments from the public on the draft Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2025, and consultation is open until 31 October.