Online money gaming ban to take effect from Oct 1 under new act: Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi: The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act that bans all forms of online money games, would be implemented from October 1, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday.

The Act, passed by Parliament last month, bars all forms of online money games while promoting e-sports and other online games.

"The rules will be promulgated with effect from October 1," Vaishnaw said during a pre-event conference for the planned AI Impact Summit 2026 India.

The minister said that the government had engaged in discussions with the industry, even after the online gaming legislation was passed.

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Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, in August, banning all forms of online money games while promoting e-sports and online social games.

Now an Act, after the President's nod, it aims to crack down on rising instances of addiction, money laundering and financial fraud through such applications. Following the passage of the Bill in Parliament, online gaming platforms, including Dream11, My11Circle, WinZO, Zupee, and Nazara Technologies-backed PokerBaazi, have halted their real-money online gaming offerings.