New Delhi, 21 Aug

Parliament on Thursday passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, with the Rajya Sabha approving it without debate amid din.

The bill, piloted by Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeks to ban all forms of online money games while promoting eSports and online social gaming.

It was approved by the Upper House after rejecting amendments moved by Opposition members. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

It also seeks to prohibit advertisements related to online money games and bar banks and financial institutions from facilitating or transferring funds for any of such games.

Online money games are played by depositing money in expectation of winning monetary and other rewards.