The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA) 2025 controls everything. The National Online Gaming Commission (NOGC) decides which games you can play and which ones you cannot.
Gaming in India changed completely in 2025. The old system, where each state made different rules, is gone.
Companies that ran real-money gaming apps had until late 2025 to either shut down or change their business.
This article explains which games are legal, which are banned, what happens if you break the rules, and what might happen next for gaming in India.
Online Gaming Laws in India 2026: After PROGA 2025
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 is the first law for all online games in India.
Before this, the same game could be legal in one state and illegal in another. That confusion is over now.
| Game Type | Current Legal Status | Common Examples |
|---|---|---|
| E-Sports | Legal & Promoted | Valorant, BGMI, EA Sports FC |
| Social Games | Legal | Candy Crush, Free Ludo, Educational Quizzes |
| Real Money Gaming | Prohibited | Dream11, Poker, Rummy (with cash) |
| Offshore Betting | Illegal & Blocked | 1xBet, Bet365, Lotus365 |
For years, India allowed “Games of Skill” even when money was involved. If you won because you were good at the game, not just lucky, you could play for money.
The new Act bans any game where you pay money hoping to win more money. It does not matter if the game needs skill or just luck. If money goes in with the hope of winning more, the law says it is illegal.
For example, you can play FIFA with your friends for fun. You can join a FIFA tournament with a cash prize. But if you put 100 rupees into an app hoping to win 500 rupees based on how well you play, that is now illegal.
Indians lost 20,000 crore rupees a year to these games. Families got into debt, and people became addicted. The government decided a ban was the only solution.
Google Bans All Ads Related to Fantasy Sports
Google stops all advertisements for Rummy and Daily Fantasy Sports in India on January 21, 2026.
When you search for these games on Google, use YouTube, or browse any Google platform, you will not see an ad for them. Google made this decision to follow Indian law.
Second, the Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether PROGA is legal. A panel of three judges will decide if the government has the right to ban these games.
Meanwhile, the gaming industry is collapsing. The Head Digital Works used to employ over 600 people. Now they have fewer than 180 employees.
The company said this feels like a “civil death” of their business. Hundreds of workers lost their jobs. Years of building a business vanished in months.
Online Gaming Penalties And Enforcement in India
The government takes this ban seriously. The penalties are harsh for people who run these platforms.
| Offense | First-Time Penalty | Repeat Offense Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Offering/Hosting RMG | 3 Years Jail + ₹1 Crore Fine | 5 Years Jail + ₹2 Crore Fine |
| Advertising RMG | 2 Years Jail + ₹50 Lakh Fine | Increased Jail & Fines |
| Facilitating Payments | 3 Years Jail + ₹1 Crore Fine | Mandatory Jail & License Revocation |
Source: Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill
If you run a real money gaming platform, you can go to prison for up to 3 years. You will also pay a fine of 1 crore rupees. If you do it again after getting caught, the punishment jumps to 5 years in prison and a 2 crore rupee fine.
Even advertising these games is a crime. If you promote a banned gaming app, you can go to jail for 2 years and pay a 50 lakh rupee fine.
Banks and payment companies also face penalties. If a bank processes payments for these games, they can lose their license. The people running these payment operations can go to jail for 3 years.
What about players? You will not go to jail just for playing. But your bank can freeze your account. Banks now have to block all transactions related to real money gaming.
Imagine you deposit 5,000 rupees into a gaming app. Then you find out your bank froze your account. You cannot access your money. You cannot withdraw it. The money just sits there stuck.
Online Gaming Laws in India: The Bright Side
The government did not ban everything. In fact, it supports certain types of gaming.
- The system is centralized and the “Grey area” has officially ended.
- E-sports is now recognized as a sport under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.
- Social games are legal. You can play Candy Crush or Ludo with your friends.
- Educational quiz apps are also allowed.
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Conclusion: Online Gaming Laws in India 2026
The Supreme Court will decide if PROGA is constitutional in January 2026. If the court says the law is valid, the ban stays. If the court says the government went too far, the gaming industry could change overnight.
Until the court makes its decision, the ban is in place. The NOGC and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology enforce it strictly. They block websites.
They remove apps from the Play Store and App Store. Banks stop processing payments. The message from the government is, you can play games for fun, but not for money.
FAQs
Only certain types are legal. E-sports and social games are allowed. PROGA 2025 bans real money gaming and offshore betting.
It is not legal. Any game where you pay money hoping to win more is illegal in India since 2025. This is true even if winning depends on your skill.
The bill has been passed. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act became law in 2025. It is active now. The Supreme Court will review it in January 2026.
PROGA bans all real money gaming. It allows e-sports and social games. The National Online Gaming Commission decides which games get approval. If you break the rules, you can face jail time and fines.
Not always. If you play legal games, that is fine. But if you offer or run real money gaming platforms, that is a crime. You can face jail time and fines under PROGA.
Dream11 is not legal. PROGA 2025 bans Dream11 and all fantasy sports platforms that involve money. The app is not available in India anymore.
