The Act in brief
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3 years
Maximum prison term for offering online money games, with a fine of up to ₹1 crore.
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2 years
Maximum prison term for advertising them, with a fine of up to ₹50 lakh.
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₹1 crore
Maximum fine for facilitating payments for online money games, alongside up to 3 years in prison.
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Players
The penalties target operators, advertisers and payment firms. The Act sets none for people who play.
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 passed the Lok Sabha on 20 August 2025 and the Rajya Sabha on 21 August 2025. It replaces a patchwork of state rules on real-money gaming with a nationwide ban on online money games.
What counts as an online money game
The Act defines an online money game as one where a user pays money or other stakes in the hope of winning money or other enrichment, whether the game is based on skill, chance or both. Credits, coins and tokens that can be converted into money count as stakes. Real-money live casino games fall inside that definition.
What is banned
- Offering or helping to offer online money games: up to 3 years in prison, a fine of up to ₹1 crore, or both.
- Advertising them: up to 2 years in prison, a fine of up to ₹50 lakh, or both.
- Banks and payment providers facilitating payments for them: up to 3 years in prison, a fine of up to ₹1 crore, or both.
- The government can also order sites and apps offering online money games to be blocked.
What is still allowed
E-sports and social games are promoted under the Act. E-sports can charge registration fees and award prizes as long as there is no betting, and social games can charge subscriptions as long as players cannot win money. The Act also provides for an authority to decide which games count as money games and to register permitted games.
What it means for live casino players in India
No Indian authority licenses online casinos, and any site taking real-money bets from India is now operating against the Act. Indian banks and payment apps are barred from processing those payments, so deposits can be declined and money can get stuck. If something goes wrong with an offshore site, there is no Indian regulator to complain to. Our India page covers the wider legal picture.
If gambling has stopped being fun, see our responsible gaming guide and where to get help.
Sources
For players in India
What changes for you
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Watch out
Legality
Offering real-money online casino games to players in India is banned, including live dealer tables.
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Watch out
Payments
Banks, UPI apps and other payment providers may not process payments for online money games, so deposits and withdrawals can fail.
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What it means
Your position
The Act's penalties target operators, advertisers and payment firms rather than players, but you have no legal protection if an offshore site does not pay.
Key dates
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Done
Passed by the Lok Sabha -
Done
Passed by the Rajya Sabha -
Done
Act in force
PRS Legislative Research; News On AIR, 30 April 2026
