India blocked 1,524 betting and gambling websites and mobile apps between 2022 and June 2025, using powers under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which lets the Government block access to illegal websites or links1. The figure appears in an official document on the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which Parliament passed on 21 August 20251.
The blocking total sits alongside other measures listed in the same document. The IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, amended in April 2023, set norms for online gaming platforms, and intermediaries offering money games must register with self-regulatory bodies that verify whether a game is permissible1. Under the IGST Act, 2017, online money gaming suppliers must register under the Simplified Registration Scheme, and the Directorate General of GST Intelligence can direct intermediaries to block access to unregistered or non-compliant gaming platforms1.
The Bill itself imposes a complete ban on online money games, covering games of chance, games of skill and those combining both1. Advertising and promotion of such games is prohibited, and banks or payment systems cannot process financial transactions related to these platforms1. Penalties scale with the offense:
| Offence | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|
| Offering or facilitating online money games | Imprisonment up to three years and fine up to one crore rupees |
| Financial transactions linked to such games | Same penalties as offering or facilitating |
| Advertising such games | Imprisonment up to two years and fine up to fifty lakh rupees |
| Repeat offenses | Imprisonment up to five years and fine up to two crore rupees |
Offenses under key provisions will be cognisable and non-bailable, meaning police can arrest without a warrant and bail is not a right1. A national-level regulatory authority will be established, or an existing one designated, to categorize and register online games, decide whether a game qualifies as a money game, and handle public grievances1. The legislation applies to the whole of India and to online money gaming services offered within India or operated from outside it1. E-sports are recognized as a legitimate competitive sport, with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to prepare guidelines and standards for tournaments1.
"Between 2022 and June 2025, 1,524 betting and gambling websites and mobile apps were blocked."
What it means for players
For players in India, the practical effect is that a large and growing set of betting and gambling sites and apps has been made unreachable inside the country, and the Bill extends the ban to money games offered from outside India as well1. Because financial transactions linked to banned platforms cannot be processed by banks or payment systems, deposits and withdrawals through normal banking channels face a legal barrier, and offering or facilitating such games carries prison terms and fines1. Advertising and promotion are prohibited, so the routes by which players previously found such sites are themselves restricted1. The document does not state how blocks are enforced at the technical level, whether mirror sites or apps are covered in practice, or what happens to funds already held on blocked platforms; those points have not been reported in the document1.
What happens next
The Bill was passed by Parliament on 21 August 20251. A national-level regulatory authority will be established, or an existing body designated, to oversee online games and decide which qualify as money games1. The Central Government will frame rules for e-sports promotion, the recognition and registration of online games, and the functioning of the authority1. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will prepare guidelines and standards for e-sports tournaments1. No dates for these steps are given in the document1.
Sources1 sources
- doc2025821618101.pdf, static.pib.gov.in
