Brief Context
Context The Lok Sabha has passed The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. Need for the Bill Lack of Framework: The lack of a legal framework has hindered the sector’s structured development and the promotion of responsible gaming practices, requiring urgent policy intervention and support mechanisms. Major Concerns: The proliferation of online money games through mobile phones, computers and the internet, and offering monetary returns has led to serious social, financial, psycho
Source Content
Syllabus: GS2/Governance
Context
- The Lok Sabha has passed The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025.
- The Bill seeks to prohibit online money games, and promote and regulate certain other online games.
Major Provisions
- Online Money Game Definition: An online game that involves a user paying money or other stakes in expectation of receiving monetary or other enrichment.
- This is irrespective of whether the game is based on skill, chance, or both.
- Also include credits, coins, and tokens equivalent or convertible to money.
- Prohibition on online money games: The Bill prohibits offering or aiding online money games and related services.
- It also prohibits advertising, and facilitating financial transactions for such games.
- Blocking Games: It empowers the central government to block any information related to online money gaming services from public access.
- Promotion of e-sports and online social games: E-sport is defined as an online game that: is played as part of multi-sports events,
- is recognised under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025
- has outcome determined solely by factors such as physical dexterity, mental agility, strategic thinking, or similar skills,
- and involves organised competitive events conducted in multiplayer format and governed by pre-defined rules.
- It must not involve placing of bets or other stakes, or expectation of any winning out of such stakes.
- The central government may:
- create a mechanism for registration of e-sports and online social games,
- specify guidelines for conducting e-sports events,
- establish training academies for e-sports,
- incentivise promotion of e-sport technology platforms,
- and support initiatives that increase public access to safe social gaming content.
- Authority on Online Gaming: The central government may constitute an Authority with powers to determine whether an online game qualifies as an online money game, and recognise, categorise, and register online games.
- Search and arrest without warrant: The Bill empowers authorised officers to enter and search any place without a warrant.
- Places include buildings, vehicles, electronic records, and virtual digital spaces (such as emails and social media).
- They may also arrest a suspect found during the search without a warrant.
- Offences and penalties: Offering online money gaming services will be punishable with imprisonment for up to three years, a fine up to one crore rupees, or both.
- Advertising online money games will be punishable with imprisonment up to two years, a fine up to Rs 50 lakh, or both.
- Facilitating financial transactions for such services will be punishable with imprisonment up to three years, a fine up to one crore rupees, or both.
- A repeat offence would attract enhanced penalties, including jail for 3-5 years and fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Need for the Bill
- Lack of Framework: The lack of a legal framework has hindered the sector’s structured development and the promotion of responsible gaming practices, requiring urgent policy intervention and support mechanisms.
- Major Concerns: The proliferation of online money games through mobile phones, computers and the internet, and offering monetary returns has led to serious social, financial, psychological and public health harms.
Significance
- The bill will establish a uniform and national-level legal framework in the public interest.
- The Bill will protect the country’s youth from predatory online Real Money Gaming apps which manipulate them through misleading monetary return promises.
- The introduction of the Bill reflects the Government’s commitment to a safe, secure, and innovation-driven Digital India that boosts creativity, safeguards citizens, and strengthens national security.
Source: TH