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Podcast: In Focus by The Hindu
Episode: Can India’s real money gaming ban withstand constitutional scrutiny?
Description: Parliament last month enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, establishing a comprehensive legal framework for India’s rapidly expanding online gaming sector. The legislation, which received the President’s assent on August 22, seeks to regulate segments such as e-sports and social gaming, while simultaneously imposing a blanket prohibition on all money-based online games.
The stated rationale for this prohibition is the “serious social, financial, psychological and public health harms, particularly among young individuals and economically disadvantaged groups,” associated with real-money gaming.
Even before the law has taken effect, several petitions have been filed in...