Online Gaming Rules to come in effect from May 1; Govt shuts door on real-money gaming, clears non-stake platforms
The last hope for a somewhat permissive framework for real-money gaming was dashed on Wednesday, with the Centre notifying rules to operationalise the Online Gaming Act, 2025 and making it clear that platforms involving monetary stakes remain barred in the country from May 1.
The rules draw a sharp line between games that involve money and those that do not, with the former explicitly excluded from registration or recognition under the law. “It is very clear that online money gaming is banned and they cannot be registered or determined under the Act,” electronics and IT ministry Secretary S Krishnan said at a press conference.
