The legislation, introduced earlier in the day by Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw amid Opposition protests, was cleared a day after the Cabinet approved it. The Bill imposes a blanket ban on online games involving monetary stakes, citing addiction, financial losses and related suicides among youth as key concerns.
Officials said the law distinguishes between permissible and prohibited gaming segments. MeitY Secretary S Krishnan explained that while real-money gaming apps would be curbed “in the larger public interest,” esports and social games would remain allowed, with subscriptions permitted but without monetary returns. He described the measure as a “societal decision” and noted that concerns about job losses had been weighed against the risks posed by money gaming.
Industry voices and experts also welcomed the move as a protective step. “The new Online Gaming Bill is more than regulation, it is protection. Online money games have left children and youth vulnerable to exploitation and serious mental health risks,” Apollo Hospitals vice chairperson Preetha Reddy wrote on X.