Parliament on Thursday passed a bill to ban all forms of online money games and promote eSports and online social gaming, with the Rajya Sabha approving it without debate amid din.
Piloting The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 in the Upper House, Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said the legislation will promote two-thirds of the online gaming segment.
The bill, he said, will ban online money games, which have become a big problem for society, especially middle-class youth. The bill was approved by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The bill was approved by the Upper House after rejecting amendments moved by Opposition members.
Online money games are played by depositing money in expectation of winning monetary and other rewards.
The bill proposes that any person offering an online money gaming service in violation of the stipulated provisions will face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine that may extend to Rs 1 crore or both.
The provisions also stipulate imprisonment of up to two years and or a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh, or both, for those indulging in advertisements in contravention of rules.
Several online real money gaming platforms masquerade themselves as a “game of skills” to differentiate themselves from gambling or betting.
The bill ends the scope of online money gaming players from skirting the ban in the pretext of being a skill-based game platform.
Parliament passes bill to ban allforms of online money games
NEW DELHI, AUG 21 (PTI)