India will officially ban online money games starting on October 1, 2025. This is a big step for the country’s digital environment. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Information Technology, confirmed this. He said that the guidelines for the new Promotion and Regulation of Online Games Act (PROGA) would be officially announced on the same day.
The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha both passed the law on August 20 and 21, and the president signed it on August 22. It makes all forms of online money games illegal. This contains games that give out real money or virtual currencies that can be turned into real money. The Act also wants to help e-sports, skill-based games without money stakes, and other fun online activities expand at the same time.
Minister Vaishnaw talked about how the government works together at a pre-event for the AI Impact Summit. “We had talked to the industry and had many conversations with them… for almost three years,” he added. He also said that his ministry had talked to banks.
There won’t be any more public consultations on the guidelines, but the IT ministry will meet one more time with gambling companies, banks, and other interested parties before the October 1 deadline. A high-ranking official in the IT ministry said that the law and rules are already clear. The gaming industry mainly asked for advance notice so they could get ready for the change.
If you offer online money gambling services under the new law, you could face serious penalties, such as up to three years in prison and fines of up to ₹1 crore. You could also go to jail for two years and pay fines of up to ₹50 lakh if you advertise or promote these platforms.
Vaishnaw said that the government’s goal is to “patiently handhold” the sector as it changes, protecting users from the risks of online money games and limiting the activities of offshore platforms.
Four main ministries—IT, Information and Broadcasting, Sports, and Telecom—are working together to put PROGA into action. The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), the E-gaming Federation (EGF), and the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) are some of the most important industry groups that have taken part in earlier discussions. A final meeting is planned to address any outstanding issues.