Rajya Sabha Passes Online Gaming Regulation Bill Amid Protests

Aug 21, 2025 – The Rajya Sabha today passed The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill amid protests by the Opposition leaders in the House. Despite the uproar, the legislation was cleared through a voice vote on the last day of the Monsoon Session today.

It was introduced and cleared in Lok Sabha yesterday, August 20.

The Bill was placed in the Upper House by Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw. It aims to ban all forms of pay-to-play online games, including both games of skill and chance, while promoting eSports and online social gaming. Vaishnaw, while introducing the Bill, said that around 45 crore people in India lose money on online gaming platforms and that the total annual losses because of online gaming are pegged at around Rs 20,000 crore. 

Once implemented, it will also put a halt on operations of regulated Real Money Gaming (RMG) platforms in the country and check rising instances of addiction, money laundering and financial fraud through such applications.

Key Features of the Bill:

• Promote Positive Gaming: Encourage educational, skill-based, and socially safe e-sports and online games that foster learning and healthy interaction.
• Prohibit Harmful Money Games: Ban online gambling, betting, and real-money games that pose risks of addiction, financial harm, or exploitation.
• Ensure User Safety: Protect citizens—especially the youth—from online threats such as fraud, money laundering, and cyber risks.
• Foster Responsible Innovation: Establish clear regulations and guidelines to help India’s gaming industry grow in a safe, ethical, and sustainable way.

With Media Inputs