India’s upper house passes bill to ban real-money online games
The bill proposes penalties of up to three years in jail.
India.- The upper house of India’s parliament has passed the Promotion & Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. The bill, presented by India’s IT ministry, will ban real money play in online games, imposing penalties of up to three years in jail and fines. It already cleared the lower house earlier this week and now awaits presidential signing.
The bill defines an online money game as any digital game that involves the deposit of money or stakes with the expectation of winning money or rewards. It prohibits advertisements related to online money games and bar banks and financial institutions from facilitating or transferring funds for any of such games.
The legislation seeks to address public concerns over gambling addiction, fraud and inconsistent regulation across Indian states. Federal IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, said: “It is the duty of the government and the parliament to take strict action against social evils, which keep erupting time and again.”
Executives fear job losses and a shutdown of many apps . The market is currently valued at approximately US$3.7bn, with platforms like Dream11, MPL, and Games24x7 commanding large user bases, and real-money gaming, including fantasy sports, poker, and rummy, is estimated to account for 86 per cent of revenue.
