Overview

• Parliament cleared the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 in both houses, with presidential assent and formal notification now pending.
• Major operators including Dream Sports/Dream11, MPL, Zupee, Gameskraft, PokerBaazi, Games24x7, WinZO, A23 and Probo have suspended money games, disabled deposits and kept withdrawals open.
• The law criminalises offering, promoting or facilitating money games regardless of skill or chance, bars advertising and payment processing, and sets penalties of up to three years in jail and fines up to ₹1 crore for operators.
• Industry groups and companies are preparing court challenges citing past rulings on skill versus chance and uneven treatment, with Goa’s licensed casinos flagged as a key inconsistency.
• Firms warn of job losses and an investment freeze and are pivoting to free‑to‑play and other ventures, while the bill elevates esports and creates a national authority to categorise and oversee games.