The government has notified rules under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, with implementation set to begin from May 1, marking the operational rollout of a formal regulatory framework for the sector.
A key feature of the rules has been that registration for online social games has been made voluntary. Such games have been allowed to operate without prior determination or registration with the proposed regulator, the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI). However, the authority has been given powers to step in and review any game on its own.
OGAI has been set to become functional from May 1 and has been expanded to include six members, with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) added as a full-time member. The validity of certificates issued to games has also been extended from five to ten years, reducing compliance frequency for operators.
The authority has been chaired by the additional secretary of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), and its members have included the joint secretaries of MHA, Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and the Department of Legal Affairs.
The rules have allowed the government to mandate registration for specific categories of social games based on factors such as addiction risk, scale of participation, financial implications and country of origin. Parameters including the distinction between registration fees, prizes and wagers have also been used to determine the nature of games.
The framework has been refined after receiving over 2,500 stakeholder submissions. It has introduced clarity on data retention norms, fair play requirements, cybersecurity standards, and the grounds for suspension or cancellation of registrations.
Officials have said the rules aim to strike a balance between ease of doing business and user protection, while retaining regulatory oversight for high-risk segments of the online gaming ecosystem.
Notably, key changes in the rules have included the removal of complex elements around the promotion of e-sports, with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports having been allowed to develop separate policies related to it.
