Rajya Sabha passes Online Gaming Bill 2025

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday cleared the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, cementing the Centre’s sweeping ban on real-money online games, a day after it was passed in the Lok Sabha.

Presenting the bill in Lok Sabha yesterday, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called online money gaming “a bigger issue than drugs,” citing 45 crore Indians exposed and an estimated Rs 20,000 crore in annual losses for middle-income families. 

He also flagged addiction, financial ruin, money laundering, and even links to terrorism as key concerns, while warning against attempts to manipulate public opinion through media and social platforms.

The legislation outlaws all games involving monetary stakes, from fantasy sports and poker to betting apps and opinion trading. It directs banks, NBFCs, wallets, UPI, and even celebrity endorsers to cut ties with such platforms. Offences will be cognizable and non-bailable, attracting up to three years in jail and Rs 1 crore in fines, with directors and promoters personally liable unless they prove due diligence.

Also Read: Govt kills real-money gaming with Gaming Bill in Lok Sabha

For the industry, the move is existential. Real-money gaming contributed 85% of India’s multi-billion-dollar gaming revenue in FY24 and was projected to grow rapidly. Platforms such as Dream11, MPL, Games24x7, and Probo now face a wipeout. The markets have already reacted, with Nazara Technologies tumbling over 20% this week.

Industry groups had warned the government that a blanket ban could wipe out thousands of crores in tax revenues, trigger mass layoffs, and push players to offshore and unregulated operators, a risk that, they argue, defeats the very purpose of regulation.