President gives assent to Online Gaming Bill 2025
File picture: The ‘Online Money Game’ has become a ‘Public Health Risk’, with people getting addicted to it
| Photo Credit:
Hirurg
The President on Friday gave her assent to the ‘Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025’, paving the way for its enactment, after it is notified as law.
The Presidential assent has come a day after Parliament passed the bill to ban all forms of games played with money, and promote e-sports and online social gaming, on Thursday.
When asked about the rush to enact the statute, S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) told businessline: “This has been in the offing for a while. There have been various kinds of discussions…the point is all these decisions you have to take at some point in time. There are pros and cons. But, once you are decided, you have to act fast.”
Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Thursday, said in the Rajya Sabha there are three aspects of the Bill “E-sports, Online Social Gaming and Online Money Gaming”, out of which 2/3rd segment (E-sports and Online Social Gaming) would be promoted and encouraged.
“Online gaming has emerged as an important sector in the digital world. It has three segments — the first segment is e-Sports, in which people form a team and play, learn coordination, and use strategic thinking. Our players have also won many medals. This bill will promote e-Sports, create an authority for it, and it will get legal recognition. The second is Online Social Games, which include Solitaire, Chess, Soduku, etc. The bill will promote online social games, and an authority will be created.”
He noted that the third segment — ‘Online Money Game’ — has become a “Public Health Risk” — adding that people get addicted to it and it eats into families’ savings.
“It is estimated that 45 crore people have been affected by it and more than ₹20,000 crore has been destroyed in it. WHO has declared it a gaming disorder. Online money gaming has become a public health risk. Problems like psychological disorders, compulsive behaviour, and violent behaviour are arising from it. Many families have been destroyed due to it. This has become a huge problem. Its major aspect is money laundering and its effects have also been seen in terror activities. There were efforts to stop this problem, but the problem has kept on increasing,” Vaishnaw added.
Published on August 22, 2025
