With the Bill, the government is preparing to take aim at the lucrative yet controversial world of real-money online gaming, and is proposing sweeping bans and harsh penalties for both platforms and their celebrity promoters. The move—framed as a response to mounting national security worries and social harms—is a striking reversal from previous pro-industry overtures. At the heart of the proposed law are blanket prohibitions on online money games, multi-crore fines and potential jail sentences, as officials attempt to rein in an industry increasingly accused of fuelling money laundering, addiction and law evasion, even as it hurtles towards a projected $9 billion market by 2029.
20/08/2025