The Draft Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2025 · 02 Oct 2025

[TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE OF INDIA, EXTRAORDINARY, PART II, SECTION 3, SUB-SECTION (i)]

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

NOTIFICATION

New Delhi, the ___ October, 2025.

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2025

G.S.R. __(E).—In exercise of the powers conferred under section 19 of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (32 of 2025), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules, namely:—

PART I

PRELIMINARY

1. Short Title and Commencement.—(1) These rules may be called the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2025.

(2) They shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

2. Definitions.—(1) In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,—

• (a) “Act” means the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (32 of 2025);
• (b) “Applicant” means any online game service provider, through any person authorised by it in this regard, seeking registration of an e-sport or online social game under the Act;
• (c) “Appellate Authority” means the Secretary to Government of India in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology;
• (d) “Central Government” means, unless otherwise specified,⎯
  • (i) for the purposes of Part II of these rules, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports or the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, as the case may be;
  • (ii) for all other parts of these rules, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology;
• (e) “Certificate of Registration” means the Certificate of Registration issued by the Authority in relation to an online social game or an e-sport under rule 16, as the case may be;
• (f) “Grievance” means any complaint or representation made by any user to an online game service provider, either in writing or through digital or electronic means, regarding any act, omission, service, decision, or practice relating to the offering or availability of online social games or e-sports;
• (g) “Grievance Appellate Committee” means the Grievance Appellate Committees established under rule 3A of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (21 of 2000);
• (h) “material change” means any change in the manner of offering a registered online social game or e-sport, including a modification in features of the online game or its revenue model, which is reasonably likely to change the nature of such online social game or e-sport as an online money game or where there is any change in the manner in which money or anything recognised as equivalent or convertible to money is transacted for the online game;
• (i) “online game service provider” means any person who alone or jointly with others, offers, operates, organises, manages or makes available one or more online games.

(2) Words and expressions used and not defined in these rules but defined in the Act and rules made thereunder shall have the same meaning as assigned to them in the Act and the said rules, as the case may be.

PART II

PROMOTION OF E-SPORT AND ONLINE SOCIAL GAMES

3. Recognition and Promotion of e-sport.⎯ (1) Subject to sub-rule (2), the provisions relating to recognition and promotion of e-sport under section 3 of the Act, shall be administered by the Central Government through the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, which may involve suitable measures as may be considered necessary for the purpose.

(2) The registration of e-sport for the purposes of sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Act shall be done by the Authority in accordance with rule 15.

4. Promotion and development of online social games.⎯(1) Subject to sub-rule (2), the provisions relating to promotion of online social games under sub-section (2) of section 4 of the Act shall be administered by the Central Government through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which may involve suitable measures as may be considered necessary for the purpose.

(2) The registration of online social games for the purposes of sub-section (1) of section 4 and clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 4 of the Act shall be done by the Authority in accordance with rule 14.

(3) An online social game may be offered or made available without a registration under Part IV.

(4) The Central Government, through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, may issue codes of practice or guidelines in relation to the categorisation of online social games for recreational, educational, skill development, or such other purposes so as to ensure safe and age-appropriate social gaming content.

PART III

AUTHORITY ON ONLINE GAMING

5. Establishment of the Authority.—(1) With effect from such date as the Central Government may by notification in the Official Gazette appoint, there shall be established an Authority to be called the Online Gaming Authority of India.

(2) The Authority shall be a body corporate by the name aforesaid, having perpetual succession and a common seal, with power, subject to the provisions of this Act, to acquire, hold and dispose of property, both movable and immovable, and to contract and shall, by the said name, sue or be sued.

(3) The head office of the Authority shall be in the National Capital Region.

(4) The Authority may function as a digital office which, without prejudice to its power to summon and enforce the attendance of any person and examine her on oath, may adopt techno-legal measures to conduct proceedings in a manner that does not require the physical presence of any individual.

6. Composition and qualifications for appointment of Chairperson and Members.—(1) The Authority shall consist of the following Members, to be appointed by the Central Government, namely:⎯

• (a) a Chairperson, ex officio in the rank of the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology or in the absence of an Additional Secretary, such other officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary designated by the Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology;
• (b) three Members, who shall be Members ex officio, in the rank of a Joint Secretary to the Government of India, to respectively represent the Ministries or Departments of the Central Government dealing with,⎯
  • (i) information and broadcasting;
  • (ii) youth affairs and sports;
  • (iii) financial services; and
• (c) two other Members ex officio, not below the rank of Director to the Government of India, out of which at least one Member shall have special knowledge of and experience in law.

(2) The Central Government shall appoint a Secretary to the Authority, who shall not be below the rank of Director to the Government of India, and who shall discharge such functions as may be assigned to her by the Authority.

(3) The Chairperson may call upon such experts as deemed necessary to assist the Authority in the discharge of its functions.

(4) The Central Government shall provide for allowances payable to non-official experts as per norms laid down by the Ministry of Finance.

7. Proceedings of the Authority.—(1) The Authority shall observe such procedure in relation to the manner of performing its functions and transaction of business at its meetings, whether conducted digitally or physically, and authenticate its orders, directions and documents and instruments in the following manner, namely:—

• (a) the Chairperson shall fix the date, time and place of meetings of the Authority, approve the items of agenda therefor, and cause notice specifying the same to be issued under her signature or that of such other Member as the Chairperson may authorise by general or special order in writing;
• (b) meetings of the Authority shall be chaired by the Chairperson and, in her absence, by the senior-most Member from the Members present during the meeting;
• (c) save as otherwise provided under these rules, one-third of the functional strength shall be the quorum for its meetings;
• (d) save as otherwise provided under these rules, all questions which come up before any meeting of the Authority shall be decided by a majority of the votes of Members present and voting, and, in the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson, or in her absence, the person chairing, shall have a second or casting vote;
• (e) if a Member has any personal interest in any item of business to be transacted at a meeting of the Authority, she shall not participate in or vote on the same, and in such a case, the decision on such item shall be taken by a majority of the votes of other Members present and voting;
• (f) in case an emergent situation warrants immediate action by the Authority and it is not feasible to call a meeting of the Authority, the Chairperson may, while recording the reasons in writing, take such action as may be necessary, which shall be communicated within seven days to all Members and laid before the Authority for ratification at its next meeting;
• (g) save as otherwise provided under these rules, if the Chairperson so directs, an item of business or issue which requires a decision of the Authority may be referred to Members by circulation and such item may be decided with the approval of majority of the Members;
• (h) the Chairperson or any Member of the Authority, or any Member authorised by her by a general or special order in writing, may, under her signature, authenticate its order, direction or instrument.