New Delhi: The Center has announced the launch of the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI), which will come into effect from May 1 under the Promotion and Regulation of Online games Act, 2025.
Under the new rules, mandatory registration is required only for real money games, while most are not real money (Social) games can work without registration, although they remain optional.
Electronics and Information Technology Ministry Secretary S. Krishnan told mediapersons that the government has adopted a light regulatory approach.
“Most non-cash games can work without any obligations like registration,” he said.
Registration will be required for some announced games, especially those with large-scale participation or involving financial transactions. However, registration remains mandatory for eSports.
The authority must complete the classification process within 90 days of its initiation.
The determination process to classify a game as a social game, cash game or eSport will be triggered only in three situations: suo motu action by the authority, application by an eSports provider or notification by the Central Government for specific categories of social games.
Krishnan clarified that online gambling is explicitly prohibited under the law. Such games cannot be registered or defined under the new framework.
The validity of the certification for permitted online games has been extended from five to 10 years. The rules introduce mandatory user safety features and a two-tier complaint resolution system for platforms.
Provisions relating to the promotion of games have been removed, giving ministries the flexibility to design their own schemes.
The new regulations put banks and financial institutions at the center of enforcement. They must verify that a gaming platform is legally classified before processing user transactions. Payment service providers will ensure that only permitted categories – online social games and popular e-sports – can handle user funds.
“If there are no financial transactions related to an online game or an online social game, then there is no problem at all,” Krishnan said.
Composition of OGAI:
The composition of OGAI has been expanded to six members:
Chair: Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
Members: Joint Secretaries from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Department of Legal Affairs.
OGAI will function as a digital office under MeitY. It will be responsible for defining and registering online games (including eSports), issuing data retention guidelines, ensuring periodic compliance reporting and exercising enforcement powers, including blocking access to non-compliant games.
