Overview

• Parliament’s Online Gaming Act is now in force after presidential assent, banning games that take user deposits for cash returns and imposing penalties of up to three years in jail and ₹1 crore, with ad bans and payment blocks for such services.
• Dream11, MPL, WinZO, Zupee, My11Circle, PokerBaazi and Gameskraft-linked apps have halted cash contests, stopped new deposits and assured users of withdrawals, with Dream11 saying deposit balances will be returned by August 29.
• Companies including Dream11, Gameskraft and Head Digital Works are weighing petitions in high courts seeking stays, with arguments expected on trade rights under Article 19(1)(g) and the Act’s failure to distinguish skill from chance.
• Gaming stocks slid on Monday—Nazara fell as much as 11% intraday—while industry estimates warn of potential losses of about 200,000 jobs, ₹25,000 crore in FDI and ₹20,000 crore in tax revenue.
• The government cites a public‑health and financial‑harm rationale, pointing to roughly 45 crore affected users and ~₹20,000 crore in annual losses, and says the law promotes esports and other non‑money gaming under a planned central authority.