Try GOLD - Free
Blanket ban ineffective
Financial Express Chandigarh
|August 21, 2025
While Addressing Offshore Gambling Concerns, Proposed Law Can Be a Bad Bet for Digital Economy
On Tuesday, the Centre introduced Bill No. 110 of 2025, titled The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, in the Lok Sabha, which was passed without much discussion. This Bill is the complete opposite of the government's approach to online gaming, moving away from the earlier amended Information Technology Intermediary Rules in April 2023.
The Bill, while attempting to address the concerns of Indian online gaming start-ups about illegal offshore gambling and betting platforms, has ended up shutting down all real money gaming formats in the country. This signals the end of online gaming start-ups and the sector's foreign direct investment (FDI) story in India.
Multiple states have attempted to ban online gaming formats by regularly confusing companies with inconsistent definitions of gambling and betting. Various high court verdicts have overturned the bans till date. Even formats have been challenged all the way till the Supreme Court, and these have been turned down for many real money gaming formats. This Bill could potentially be challenged in court if it is passed similarly in Rajya Sabha, considering that many courts in India have overturned such bans.
While the Bill proposes to encourage e-sports and online social games, it proposes a blanket ban on online games that involves any kind of payment—be it users paying a fee, depositing money, or staking other assets with the expectation of a monetary win.
This story is from the August 21, 2025 edition of Financial Express Chandigarh.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Financial Express Chandigarh
Financial Express Chandigarh
China first to full self-driving: HERE CEO
CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY GERMANS AND AMERICANS
1 mins
January 12, 2026
Financial Express Chandigarh
Reliance to invest...
ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND logistics, Karan Adani, managing director of Adani Ports & SEZ, said the Adani Group will invest %1.5 lakh crore in Gujarat’s Kutch region over
1 min
January 12, 2026
Financial Express Chandigarh
Beyond the IIT shadow
HOW IIIT HYDERABAD IS BUILDING A SILICON VALLEY MODEL IN INDIA
2 mins
January 12, 2026
Financial Express Chandigarh
Digi Yatra to add 17 airports as adoption rises to 30%
TRAVELLING THROUGH INDIAN airports is set to get faster and less stressful for a large chunk of Indian flyers as Digi Yatra gears up to add its biometric-based travel system across 17 additional airports during the current financial year.
1 mins
January 12, 2026
Financial Express Chandigarh
Modi pitches stability as firms commit to state
PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA Modi on Sunday said India is passing through a phase of unprecedented certainty and political stability at a time when the global economy is facing prolonged uncertainty, positioning the country as a dependable destination for long-term investment.
1 mins
January 12, 2026
Financial Express Chandigarh
'Uncertainty is the new normal'
India’s goldilocks situation can be sustained, with GDP growth expected to touch 7% in FY27, says Sonal Varma, managing director and chiefeconomist for India and Asia ex-Japan at Nomura.
2 mins
January 12, 2026
Financial Express Chandigarh
Countdown for Isro's PSLV-C62 launch begins
ISRO ON SUNDAY commenced a 22.5-hour countdown for the launch of a PSLV rocket that will place an earth observation satellite along with 14 other co-passenger satellites into orbit, marking the space agency’s first launch of the year.
1 min
January 12, 2026
Financial Express Chandigarh
Pvt credit gains ground in realty
CREDIT SHIFT Structured debt from nonbank lenders fills gaps in land and construction financing
1 min
January 12, 2026
Financial Express Chandigarh
The global order in 2026
SOME COUNTRIES WILL INCREASINGLY SEEK GREATER STRATEGIC AUTONOMY
3 mins
January 12, 2026
Financial Express Chandigarh
RBI advocates disclosure of NPA; banks approach CIC
FOUR MAJOR BANKS — Bank of Baroda, RBL Bank, Yes Bank and State Bank of India — have approached the CIC objecting to the disclosure of information such as the list of defaulters and NPA, penalties and inspection reports, even as the RBI termed the records “liable to be disclosed” under the RTI Act.
1 min
January 12, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size