According to Union Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the new regulations pertaining to online gaming will take effect on October 1. He emphasized that the government’s strategy is still “very consultative” and that more talks with the sector will take place prior to implementation. “We worked with almost all of the stakeholders on this, and the rules are now final. A further round of negotiations with the industry will take place prior to the rules being released, which will take effect on October 2. The Union Minister said, “And if we need more time, we will definitely consider a more consultative approach, which is our standard approach,” during the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s pre-event ceremony for the AI Impact Summit 2026.
This week, Parliament enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which President Droupadi Murmu signed into law on August 22. The purpose of the Bill is to promote online social games and e-sports while outlawing damaging online money gaming services, ads, and associated financial activities. According to prior sources, there will be no penalties for those who play online money games; instead, the only people who will be held accountable are the service providers, advertising, promoters, and those who provide financial support for these kinds of games. The government wants to legitimize e-sports and promote them with this legislation. This measure will assist in giving e-sports legal support.
