The Draft for Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2025 – India’s esports leaders welcome clear framework for growth of industry

• The provisions relating to recognition and promotion of esport, shall be administered by the Central Government through the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

• The draft establishes the Online Gaming Authority of India (“Authority”) to oversee the determination of whether an online game is an online money game or otherwise, recognition & registration of e-sports and online social games, compliance, grievance redressal, and enforcement.

• The Authority will be composed of a Chairperson and five other ex officio members from various government ministries and is empowered to determine if a game is an “online money game,” register games, issue directions, and impose penalties.

• Registration for both e-sports and social games will be managed by the Online Gaming Authority of India.

• For an e-sport title to be registered, it must first be recognized under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

• The Authority will maintain and publish a National Online Social Games and E-sports Registry containing such details of all registered online social games and e-sports as deemed necessary by the Authority and a list of online games determined as online money games by the Authority.

• Any online game service provider intending to provide an esport, shall make an application to the Authority.

• Upon registering an online game as an esport, the Authority shall issue a certificate of registration to the online game service provider with a unique registration number. The Certificate of Registration shall be valid and subsisting for a period of up to five years as chosen by the online game service provider at the time of making an application.

• If the registration of an e-sport is cancelled under the rules, the online game service provider of such e-sport or online social game shall not be eligible to avail of the support or incentives for promotion and development of e-sport or online social game.

• Every online game service provider offering a registered esport, shall establish and maintain a functional grievance redressal mechanism for redressal of grievances from any user in relation to the online social games or esport offered by it.

At the same time, the composition, impartiality, and industry knowledge of the proposed Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI) will be of utmost importance. We expect that the right stakeholders, those who have worked on this industry since its inception and deeply understand the ecosystem, will be included to guide it forward. Esports is one of the most aspirational industries for India’s youth, and this step ensures that companies like NODWIN Gaming can continue to build a sustainable, world-class ecosystem that competes globally while remaining rooted in India’s sporting fabric.“

“The government’s focus on gaming and e-sports is an encouraging signal that India sees the sector’s cultural and economic potential. Many games today sit in a grey area between skill-based competition and social entertainment, which can make regulatory jurisdiction complex. In this context, the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI) will play a key role in providing clarity, aligning ministries, and ensuring a transparent and predictable registration process, so developers can innovate with confidence. Beyond registration, building a robust ecosystem, including dedicated infrastructure, training academies, recognition of players as athletes, and supportive policies, will unlock significant opportunities across jobs, startups, content creation, broadcasting, and global tournaments. With the right balance of creativity, compliance, and economic vision, India can emerge as a global hub for competitive gaming and innovation.”