The Online Gaming Promotion Act will come into effect from October 1st.
The Sunday Mail
New Delhi. The Online Gaming Promotion and Regulation Act will come into effect from October 1st. Union Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav announced that the Online Gaming Promotion and Regulation Act will come into effect from October 1st. Passed in Parliament last month, the Act promotes e-sports and other online games while simultaneously banning all forms of money-based online gaming.
Vaishnav said at an event organized to inform about the AI Impact Summit 2026 India that the rules will come into effect from October 1st. He added that the government is still in discussions with the industry even after the online gaming law was passed. “We have held discussions with the industry several times, we have been doing so for the last three years. After the law was passed, we held discussions with them again, we also held discussions with banks and practically all potential parties, and we have finalized the rules,” he said. He added that the government will hold another round of discussions with the industry. “And if they need some more time, we will certainly consider a more consultative approach. We will do whatever is practical. That has been our approach. But for now, our goal is to implement the new law from October 1,” he said. One of the concerns raised by the industry is how to refund the balances lying in user accounts, Vaishnav said the government has held extensive discussions with banks and they have reached a solution.
