Gaming & Gambling Regulation

Overview

India's gaming regulatory landscape was reset by the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which prohibits online money games — whether based on skill or chance — together with their advertisement and the facilitation of payments for them, while promoting e-sports and online social games under a central regulatory authority. The IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules 2023 and state gaming legislation continue to add layers of compliance for platforms operating across India. Corpus Juris Legal advises online gaming companies, e-sports organisers, casual and social gaming studios, payment intermediaries, and platforms that previously offered real-money formats on the full spectrum of gaming law. The first question is now classification: whether a format is an online money game, an e-sport, or an online social game under the 2025 Act. The skill-versus-chance jurisprudence — from the Dr. K.R. Lakshmanan line of cases onwards — remains relevant to state gambling laws and to legacy disputes, but no longer makes an online money game lawful. For platforms, we advise on the recognition and registration of e-sports and social games, the transition and wind-down of money-game operations, user balances and data obligations, payment and advertising restrictions, and the content standards applicable to online gaming intermediaries. Legacy GST demands — including those arising from the October 2023 amendment that levied 28% GST on full face value — continue to generate litigation that we handle alongside the tax practice.

Key Service Components

• ◆Game classification under the Online Gaming Act 2025 — money game, e-sport or social game
• ◆Recognition and registration advisory for e-sports and online social games
• ◆Transition and wind-down advisory for platforms that offered online money games
• ◆Payment facilitation and advertising restrictions for online money games
• ◆IT Rules intermediary compliance for gaming platforms
• ◆State gaming law compliance mapping — state-by-state analysis
• ◆Legacy GST demands on online gaming — 28% full-face-value litigation
• ◆Gaming platform KYC, AML, and responsible gaming framework
• ◆Constitutional and High Court litigation on gaming legislation
• ◆Gaming advertising and promotional compliance advisory

Our Approach

We track the central Act and its rules, state gaming legislation, and court orders across all states. Every gaming client receives a current compliance map as the foundation of our advisory engagement.

Other Regulatory & Compliance Services