Some online social games in India may be required to register with the government based on their country of origin – especially those linked to China, Pakistan or Turkey – an IT Ministry official told HT when the government notified the final rules under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Games (PROG) Act, 2025 on Wednesday.
“We are not making it mandatory to identify and register online social games. However, this provision allows us to act if a game originates from countries like Pakistan, China or Turkey, which are jurisdictions that may not be aligned with India’s geopolitical or foreign policy interests,” the official said.
Registration is only mandatory for eSports. An online money game cannot be registered as an e-sport. The rules and law – which bans all online money games – go into effect on May 1.
The notification comes six months after the IT Ministry published the draft rules in October 2025. The law received presidential assent in August 2025. The government had initially held that the rules were unnecessary before reviewing that position.
At the press conference on Wednesday, IT Minister S Krishnan was asked how the government is preventing users from accessing blocked platforms through VPNs and third-party apps. He said that the government will ban such applications and websites.
The rules, in addition to creating a body to supervise the sector, also give the government a parallel enforcement mechanism through the banking system. Financial intermediaries – including banks – must verify registration certificates before processing payments for online social gaming and e-sports. When the Authority determines that a game is an online money game, banks must suspend or stop the relevant transactions without delay based on the Authority’s directions, without a grace period.
On how the central law can be placed alongside state laws like the Tamil Nadu law, Krishnan said the two frameworks address different issues. “They focus more on whether the game is based on skill or chance. We have not reached this goal. This remains within the scope of state policy. Betting and gambling fall within the jurisdiction of the state.”
Identification and registration
The final rules provide a determination test to classify whether a game is an online money game, but it is not automatically applied. Krishnan described the frame as “light”. The decision is made in three cases: when the body acts on its own initiative; When a provider seeks eSports status for a game; Or when the government imposes it on certain categories of social games by notification, taking into account the nature and volume of financial transactions permitted.
Separately, the government may require registration of a game or category by notification, based on factors including risk of harm to users, volume of engagement, volume and value of financial transactions, and country of origin or headquarters of the service provider – a requirement that could bring games from selected jurisdictions within the scope of mandatory registration. No such notification has been issued yet.
The final rules also improve the selection test, adding factors such as whether users have an expectation to win, how payments are described — participation fees or stakes — and whether in-game assets can be monetized or converted into real-world value.
Service providers are advancing digitally; The Authority takes the decision before granting approval. For eSports, registration must be completed within 90 days, and is subject to recognition under the National Sports Administration Act 2025.
There are two notable structural changes in the draft. Users who are dissatisfied with the grievance resolution of the platform can advance grievance appeal committee under the IT Rules, 2021; The final rule removes this, allowing users to contact the agency directly. Separately, draft provisions giving the body equivalent powers to a civil court have been dropped, although it retains powers to require the retention of data – including gameplay data and metadata – and mandate the preparation of periodic compliance reports.
Power composition
The specific roles of the Ministries of Information, Broadcasting and Sports in promoting online social gaming and e-sports have been removed. Krishnan said they did not provide “any real added value.”
The composition of the body also changed: joint secretaries from the Ministry of Interior and the Department of Legal Affairs were added, while two director-level positions were dropped from the draft. The Chairman remains Additional Secretary, MeitY, with Joint Secretaries from Finance, Media and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports as other members.
The concept of “material change” was also removed in the draft – which allowed rated or registered games to be re-evaluated if their features or revenue model changed. Krishnan said this is to avoid conflicts and discretionary interpretation. Service providers must now inform the authority before making any changes that affect payment mechanisms.
Other additions include a detailed definition of “user security features” – covering age verification, parental controls, time limits and grievance systems – and protecting the confidentiality of information submitted to the authority.
The rules were finalized after inter-ministerial consultations and examination by the Legal Affairs Department. The government received comments from more than 2,500 stakeholders – including industry bodies, businesses, academics, think tanks and law firms – with many calling for the law to be withdrawn. Key concerns raised included the broad definition of online social gaming, the composition and governance of the body, and the gaming classification framework.
