Society Interest Paramount: Ashwini Vaishnaw Explains Rationale Behind Online Gaming Bill — Profit Exclusive

The objective of the Online Gaming Bill is to discourage aspects harmful to society, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav told NDTV Profit on Wednesday, shortly after the Lok Sabha passed the legislation. The interests of society remain paramount, stated the minister.

The Bill will promote e-sports, which will get legal recognition, said Vaishnaw. There will be schemes and programs to promote and encourage e-sports as well as online social gaming, he added.

The minister emphasised that discouragement is only for the online money gaming, which has also seen use in money laundering. The World Health Organisation has also classified online money gaming as a separate public health disease, he pointed out.

Passed by the Parliament's Lower House on Wednesday, the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 cracks down on real money-based gaming while supporting e-sports and online social games.

The legislation prohibits advertising or endorsements of platforms facilitating online games that involve monetary transactions. It proposes to bar banks, as well as non-banking financial bodies, from facilitating any transaction involving online money games. According to sources, the decision followed three and a half years of deliberations.

The law was prompted by an estimated Rs 20,000 crore losses borne by players annually and a rising tide of social distress linked to it, government sources told NDTV Profit.

Penalties proposed under the Bill include up to three years in prison and a fine of Rs 1 crore for any person offering online money gaming services. Those involved in advertising or endorsing such platforms may face up to two years in jail along with a Rs 50 lakh fine.

Similarly, anyone facilitating transactions or fund transfers for online gaming could face three years of imprisonment and penalties up to Rs 1 crore.