Centre Notifies Online Gaming Rules 2026, Sets Up National Regulator And User-safety Framework

The Centre has notified the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026, creating a formal regulatory structure for India’s online gaming sector under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming (PROG) Act, 2025. Issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Rules are set to come into force on 1 May 2026 after inter-ministerial consultations and legal vetting. The government says the framework is meant to curb the harms associated with online money gaming while supporting legitimate e-sports and online social games.

At the core of the new system is the creation of the Online Gaming Authority of India, which will function as an attached office of MeitY with its head office in Delhi. The Authority will be chaired by the Additional Secretary, MeitY, and include Joint Secretary-level representatives from the Ministries of Home Affairs, Finance, Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports, and Law and Justice. It is designed as a digital-first body and will maintain the official list of online money games, investigate complaints, issue directions and codes of practice, hear appeals on grievances, and coordinate enforcement with financial institutions and law-enforcement agencies.

The Rules also lay down a formal test for deciding whether an online game qualifies as an online money game. Such determination can begin through suo motu action by the Authority, an application by a service provider seeking to offer a game as an e-sport, or a Central Government notification calling for scrutiny of a category of social games. The assessment will consider factors such as fees or stakes paid, expectation of monetary winnings, revenue model, and whether rewards or in-game assets can be monetised outside the game. As far as practicable, the determination process is to be completed within 90 days, and the final order will apply to the specific game and provider concerned.

A statutory registration regime has also been introduced. Registration will be mandatory only in categories specifically notified by the Central Government, based on factors such as user risk, scale of participation, financial transactions, and country of origin, and it will be compulsory for every online game proposed to be offered as an e-sport. Once a game clears determination and registration, the Authority will issue a digital Certificate of Registration with a unique number, valid for up to 10 years. The Rules make it clear that an online money game cannot be recognised or registered as an e-sport under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. Registered providers must display determination or registration details prominently on the game interface, appoint a point of contact, follow data-retention directions, and comply with payment-related directives.

User protection is a major pillar of the framework. The Rules introduce the concept of user safety features, defined as technical, procedural, operational, behavioural, or system-related safeguards suited to a game’s risk profile. These can include age verification, age-gating, time restrictions, parental controls, user reporting tools, counselling support, and fair-play and integrity monitoring. Service providers will have to disclose these safeguards, along with their internal grievance systems, when applying for determination or registration. The wider policy objective, according to the notification, is to protect citizens, especially children and vulnerable users, from addictive design, misleading promises of quick wealth, and the broader financial and psychological harms linked to predatory gaming platforms.

The Rules also establish a two-tier grievance redressal and appellate system. Every provider offering an online social game or e-sport must maintain a working grievance mechanism. If a user is dissatisfied with the provider’s response, or gets no response, an appeal can be made to the Authority within 30 days, and the Authority is expected to decide the matter within a further 30 days as far as possible. A second appeal will lie with the Secretary, MeitY, who is designated as the Appellate Authority and is likewise expected to dispose of cases within 30 days where feasible.

On enforcement, the Rules say proceedings should normally be conducted in digital mode unless physical presence is necessary, and complaints should be concluded within 90 days. Any civil penalty imposed must be proportionate, with the Authority taking into account the gain from non-compliance, loss caused to users, recurrence, gravity of the violation, and mitigation efforts. The government has presented the Rules as a balance between regulatory certainty for industry, financial-system safeguards, coordinated enforcement, and statutory user rights, giving India a tighter and more structured legal architecture for online gaming

Reference: PIB