New Delhi: The Indian government has officially notified comprehensive rules to implement the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, establishing a digital-first regulatory body and a framework designed to be largely permissive for most online games. This new regulatory regime, which comes into effect on May 1, 2026, aims to foster the growth of the online gaming sector while introducing crucial safeguards for users, particularly concerning the distinction between permissible social games and prohibited money games.
Information reaching TahirRihat.com suggests that a key feature of these new rules is the introduction of ‘user safety features,’ a broad category encompassing technical, procedural, operational, behavioral, and system-related safeguards tailored to the risk profile of individual games. These features are designed to protect players and include measures such as age verification and age-gating, time restrictions on gameplay, parental controls, user reporting tools, access to counseling support, and mechanisms for monitoring fair play and game integrity. Service providers will be mandated to clearly disclose their implemented user safety features and internal grievance redressal mechanisms when applying for any necessary determination or registration.
The regulatory framework introduces a specific ‘determination litmus test’ to classify online games. This test is crucial for identifying whether a game constitutes an ‘online money game,’ which is explicitly banned under the parent Act. The determination process can be initiated in three scenarios: if the newly formed ‘online gaming authority’ decides to conduct a review on its own volition (suo motu), if a provider offers an esports component, or if the government designates a category of social games based on the nature, volume, or value of financial transactions or the authorization of funds required for participation. Factors considered in this determination will include whether the game involves any payment of fees or deposits at any stage of participation, the expectation of monetary winnings, the game’s revenue model structure, and how rewards or in-game assets are redeemed or monetized outside the game itself.
Once an application for determination is complete, or a suo motu proceeding is initiated, the classification process is expected to be concluded within a 90-day timeframe. IT Secretary S Krishnan emphasized the government’s intention to maintain a ‘regulation-light’ approach, stating, “We wanted to, as far as possible, keep this entire thing as regulation-light as possible. Most games, which are not money games, should be able to operate with no obligation to necessarily either be determined or registered. So that entire process is optional.” He further clarified that providers are not obligated to seek a determination to classify their games as online money games, online social games, or esports. Registration, however, will become mandatory only when the government specifically notifies it, taking into account factors such as risks to users, especially children, the scale of participation, financial transaction volumes, the game provider’s country of origin or head office, and any other considerations deemed necessary in the public interest or for user protection.
Esports titles, in contrast to most social games, will require mandatory registration as stipulated in the parent Act. Real money games, it is reiterated, remain explicitly prohibited. Upon successful determination and registration, the online gaming authority will issue a ‘digital Certificate of Registration’ bearing a unique identification number, valid for a period of up to ten years. Registered service providers will be obligated to prominently display their determination or registration details on the game’s interface, designate a point of contact for users, adhere to data retention directives, and comply with any directions concerning payment facilitation.
Every service provider offering an online social game or an esports title must establish and maintain a functional grievance redressal mechanism. Users who are dissatisfied with a provider’s resolution, or if no resolution is provided, will have the option to appeal to the Online Gaming Authority of India within 30 days. The authority is tasked with aiming to resolve such appeals within an additional 30 days. A further avenue for appeal exists before the Appellate Authority, which is designated as the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). This appellate body is expected to dispose of appeals, as far as practicable, within 30 days of their receipt.
The overarching objective of these new rules is to establish a clear, transparent, and time-bound process for determining whether an online game falls into the prohibited category of online money games or the permissible categories of online social games or esports. The rules also aim to institute a statutory registration regime for esports and specific types of online social games that may be identified by the government. The Online Gaming Authority of India, established as an attached office of MeitY, will be a multi-sectoral body chaired by the Additional Secretary of MeitY in an ex-officio capacity. It will include joint secretary-level representatives from key ministries such as Home Affairs, Finance (Department of Financial Services), Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports, and Law and Justice (Department of Legal Affairs). The authority is envisioned to operate as a digital office, responsible for maintaining and publishing lists of prohibited online money games, investigating complaints, issuing directives and codes of practice, and adjudicating appeals.
Tahir Rihat (also known as Tahir Bilal) is an independent journalist, activist, and digital media professional from the Chenab Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is best known for his work as the Online Editor at The Chenab Times.
