Esports games must register with India's Online Gaming Authority
Online games offered as esports in India must be determined and registered with the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI) under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, according to a clarification issued by the central government.
Responding to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on 29 July, as reported by local media Storyboard18, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada said the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), 2025 received Presidential assent on 22 August 2025, while the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 were notified on 22 April 2026. Both came into force on 1 May 2026.
The government also confirmed that the Online Gaming Authority of India has been established to implement and oversee the regulatory framework created under the legislation.
When online games require determination
According to the government’s response, an online game offered by an Online Game Service Provider (OGSP) must be determined by the Authority in specific circumstances.
These include situations where the Authority directs a provider to seek determination, where a game is proposed to be offered as an esport, or where the central government notifies particular categories of online social games for determination.
The clarification provides one of the clearest explanations to date of how India’s new online gaming regulatory regime will apply to esports operators and game publishers.
Registration mandatory for e-sports games
The government further stated that registration with the Online Gaming Authority is mandatory when the central government notifies a game or category of games for registration, or when a game is offered as an esport.
The clarification came in response to questions regarding whether esports games and gaming firms are required to register, whether implementing rules had been framed, whether the Online Gaming Authority had been established, and whether games that do not involve real-money play would generally be exempt from determination or registration requirements.
While the government did not declare a blanket exemption for non-real-money games, its response indicates that determination and registration requirements only apply in situations specifically mentioned in the Act and its rules.
Online Gaming Authority begins regulatory role
The creation of the Online Gaming Authority is an important step for India’s goal of building a centralised system to monitor online gaming. This organisation operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to oversee a clear and structured gaming environment.
Under PROGA, the Authority is responsible for determining eligible games, maintaining registrations, monitoring compliance and enforcing regulatory requirements. The framework represents one of the most substantial changes to India’s online gaming sector in recent years, particularly for operators seeking to offer games under the esports category.
Regulatory clarity arrives as gaming sector navigates major reforms
In June, the real-money gaming sector received a major boost from a Supreme Court ruling in the Gameskraft case. This decision significantly reduced the industry’s potential GST exposure. The court instructed tax authorities to reevaluate online gaming tax demands based on Rule 31B of the Central GST Rules. It linked the taxable value to player deposits instead of every wager made after the initial deposit.
Industry groups are now expected to find relief from tax disputes that arose before the new GST framework went into effect in October 2023. Meanwhile, data from the analytics platform Blask has shown changes in consumer behaviour in India’s betting market. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 generated more betting demand than the Indian Premier League for only the second time in ten years.
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