Lok Sabha Passes Online Gaming Regulation Bill, 2025
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: IE
Context: The Lok Sabha has passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, banning real money gaming such as fantasy sports and card games. The Bill aims to address financial, psychological, and social harms caused by addictive platforms.
About Online Gaming Regulation Bill, 2025
What it is?
• The Bill seeks to prohibit online real money games where users deposit money for monetary returns.
• It aims to balance prohibition of harmful money games with the promotion of e-sports as a creative and recreational sector.
• It establishes a statutory authority for structured development and regulation of safe gaming.
Key Provisions of the Bill
• Ban on Real Money Gaming Prohibits the offering, facilitation, promotion, advertisement, and participation in online games involving monetary deposits and returns. Directly targets platforms offering fantasy leagues, card games, or gambling-like models.
• Prohibits the offering, facilitation, promotion, advertisement, and participation in online games involving monetary deposits and returns.
• Directly targets platforms offering fantasy leagues, card games, or gambling-like models.
• Authority for E-Sports Establishes a statutory authority to promote e-sports as a creative and recreational sector. Differentiates skill-based e-sports from gambling-oriented money games.
• Establishes a statutory authority to promote e-sports as a creative and recreational sector.
• Differentiates skill-based e-sports from gambling-oriented money games.
• Rationale Behind the Bill Addresses social and economic harms: addiction, suicides, fraud, and financial losses. Seeks to curb fraudulent algorithms and cheating mechanisms used by gaming companies.
• Addresses social and economic harms: addiction, suicides, fraud, and financial losses.
• Seeks to curb fraudulent algorithms and cheating mechanisms used by gaming companies.
• No Draft Consultation The government skipped pre-legislative consultation, arguing prohibition laws do not require open industry feedback. However, IT Minister cited years of prior engagement with the gaming sector.
• The government skipped pre-legislative consultation, arguing prohibition laws do not require open industry feedback.
• However, IT Minister cited years of prior engagement with the gaming sector.