Online gaming Bill launched in Lok Sabha, trade our bodies protest prohibition of real-money video games

A Bill looking for to ban and regulate on-line gaming was launched within the Lok Sabha on Wednesday (August 20, 2025) amid Opposition protests over electoral roll revision in Bihar.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the Bill as Opposition members continued to lift slogans and show placards.

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Manish Tewari (Congress) was requested by the chair to make his remarks on opposing the Bill on the introduction stage. However, he mentioned the House ought to first take up a dialogue on the Special Intensive Revision train in Bihar.

The Bill prohibits on-line cash gaming or its advertisements and prescribes imprisonment or advantageous, or each, for these providing or promoting them. It seeks to distinguish such video games from eSports or on-line social video games.

The Bill additionally requires the promotion of eSports and on-line social video games.

Gaming our bodies urge Amit Shah to intervene

 Industry our bodies representing India’s on-line skill-gaming sector have written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, looking for his “pressing intervention” towards a reported draft Bill that proposes to ban all real-money video games, together with these based mostly on ability.

In a joint letter, the federations warned that such a blanket prohibition can be a “loss of life knell” for the trade, destroying jobs and pushing crores of customers in direction of unlawful offshore betting and playing platforms.

The letter, dated August 19, was despatched on behalf of the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), and the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS).

The letter acknowledged that the net ability gaming trade is a “dawn sector” with an enterprise valuation of over ₹2 lakh crore and annual income exceeding ₹31,000 crore. It contributes over Rs 20,000 crore in direct and oblique taxes yearly and is projected to develop at a 20% compound annual development price (CAGR), doubling by 2028.

The whole variety of Indian on-line avid gamers grew from 36 crore in 2020 to over 50 crore in 2024, it famous, including that the trade has attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of over ₹25,000 crore until June 2022 and at the moment helps over two lakh direct and oblique jobs.

“Such a blanket prohibition would strike a loss of life knell for this legit, job-creating trade, and would trigger critical hurt to Indian customers and residents.

“This Bill, if handed, will trigger critical hurt to Indian customers and residents. By shutting down regulated and accountable Indian platforms, it is going to drive crores of gamers into the fingers of unlawful matka networks, offshore playing web sites, and fly-by-night operators who function with none safeguards, shopper protections, or taxation,” the trade our bodies mentioned.