India’s Online Gaming Authority to Be Functional from Day One: IT Secretary

India’s new Online Gaming Authority, intended to regulate the online gaming sector at the national level, will become operational from the moment the government issues the rule notification, said S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) told a news agency that the authority is already fully staffed and will function as a digital office headquartered in Delhi-NCR. “It can be ready the next day, because all the officials are in place,” he added, clarifying that the digital infrastructure is being readied for prompt launch.

Powers, Roles, and Structure of the Authority

The Online Gaming Authority of India is envisioned as a statutory regulator with quasi-judicial powers. Its mandate will include:

• Maintaining a central registry of games across the country

• Classifying which games qualify as “money games”

• Handling disputes arising in the domain of online gaming

This authority arises from the passage of the Online Gaming Bill (now the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025), which divides oversight among ministries:

• The Sports Ministry will be responsible for promoting eSports

• The Information Ministry will regulate social games

• The IT Ministry will enforce prohibitions on money gaming

Voluntary Registration & Developer Relief

Krishnan emphasized that registration for social (non-monetary) games will be voluntary, not forced. This approach is intended to reduce compliance burden on developers, especially startups, and promote innovation.

He further clarified the government’s stance on player protection:

“The Act does not intend to penalise players of online games or online money games. The intent is to treat them more as victims of a particular offence, and therefore the intent thereafter is to make sure that they get back what they have put down.”

According to him, the Authority’s function is limited to classification, while actual enforcement, prosecution, and blocking will continue to be handled by the agencies designated under the Act.

Context, Challenges & Recent Developments

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 was passed by Parliament in August 2025 and is slated to come into force starting October 1, 2025. 

Under the Act, real money gaming (RMG) is banned nationwide. Many popular platforms have already begun suspending money-based gaming operations. For instance, Flutter’s Indian arm (Junglee) ceased its real-money gaming business following the regulation change.

Industry participants have welcomed regulatory clarity, but also voiced concerns regarding compliance overhead, enforcement transparency, and the distinction between “skill” and “chance” in game classification. 

Implementation, Risks & Industry Impact

• The authority will operate in a digital mode, with systems prepped for immediate launch.

• It will maintain game classification and the registry, but not handle enforcement (that remains with agencies defined in the Act).

• The voluntary registration for social games may ease burden on smaller developers and promote innovation.

• Risks include: regulatory overreach, ambiguity in classifying hybrid games, potential legal challenges, and industry pushback over overheads and compliance timelines.

• The shift is already affecting major players: layoffs have been announced (e.g. MPL planning cuts) and many platforms are winding down money-game operations.

Conclusion

With the rules now notified and the Online Gaming Authority fully staffed and digitally ready, India is poised to usher in a new regulatory phase for its booming online gaming sector. This regulatory framework seeks to strike a balance between enabling innovation and safeguarding users.

The direction is clear: social and eSports gaming will be fostered, while exploitative money games will be curbed. The success of this regime will depend crucially on transparent implementation, clear guidelines, and fair enforcement. If India manages to thread this needle, it may become a model for responsible digital gaming governance globally.