IT Rules 2021 amended to cover online gaming platforms

The Central Government amended the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 through a notification published in the Official Gazette on April 6, 2023, bringing online gaming platforms under the rules for the first time¹. The amendment, issued as G.S.R. 275(E) under section 87 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, came into force on the date of publication¹.

The amended rules define an "online game" as a game offered on the internet and accessible through a computer resource or an intermediary, and an "online real money game" as one where a user makes a deposit in cash or kind with the expectation of earning winnings on that deposit¹. A "permissible online real money game" is one verified by an online gaming self-regulatory body under rule 4A¹. The Ministry may designate as many self-regulatory bodies as it considers necessary; such an entity must be a company registered under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013¹. A self-regulatory body may initially rely on information furnished by an applicant and declare a game permissible for a period not exceeding three months².

Under the rules, a self-regulatory body must publish and maintain an updated list of all permissible online real money games it has verified¹. An online gaming intermediary enabling access to a permissible online real money game must display a visible mark of verification on that game, identify and verify a user's identity before accepting any deposit, and must not itself finance play by credit or enable third-party financing for that purpose¹. The rules also require measures to safeguard users against gaming addiction, financial loss and financial fraud, including repeated warning messages beyond a reasonable session duration and a provision letting a user exclude himself once self-set time or money limits are reached¹. Grievances must be acknowledged within twenty-four hours and resolved within fifteen days¹.

The obligations under rules 3 and 4 do not apply to online games until three months after at least three online gaming self-regulatory bodies have been designated². The rules also bar intermediaries from hosting or publishing an online game that is not verified as a permissible online game, and from carrying advertisement, surrogate advertisement or promotion of such a game².

What it means for players

For players in India, the amendment created a verification layer for real money games rather than a ban. A real money game that has not been verified as permissible by a designated self-regulatory body falls outside the rules' protection, and intermediaries are barred from hosting it or advertising it². Where a game is verified, the operator must identify players before accepting deposits, show a verification mark, and offer tools such as session warnings and self-set limits on time or money spent¹. The rules do not set tax rates, license fees or a list of approved operators; those details are not in the amendment. The framework described here was later superseded in scope by the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which Parliament passed on August 21, 2025 and which imposes a complete ban on online money games³.

What happens next

The amendment took effect on publication on April 6, 2023¹. The rules state that the obligations on intermediaries and self-regulatory bodies apply to online games only after at least three self-regulatory bodies have been designated and three months have passed from that date². No designation of a self-regulatory body appears in the amendment itself, and the notification does not name any body. For the wider legal position, see Can I Gamble in India? and What India's Online Gaming Ban Means for Players; for how licensing and oversight bodies work across the region, see Gambling Regulators and Licenses in Asia.