⚖️ LAW EXPLAINER · Passed August 2025

The Online Gaming Act 2025
Explained in Plain Language

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 banned real-money online games across India and ended platforms like Probo, MPL Opinio, and real-money rummy apps. Here is what the law actually says, what it bans, what it permits, and what it means for users.

📅 Last verified: 15 July 2026🔗 Every claim sourced

⚡ One-Line Summary

The Online Gaming Act, 2025 banned all real-money online games in India nationwide. It passed both houses of Parliament in August 2025. Penalties: up to 3 years imprisonment and ₹1 crore fine for operators. Opinion trading, real-money rummy, online poker, and fantasy sports cash contests all fell within its scope. Probo shut down within days of the bill passing.

Aug 2025

Month the Online Gaming Act passed both houses of Parliament

3 Years

Maximum imprisonment for operators of banned real-money gaming platforms

₹1 Crore

Maximum fine per operator under the Act for running a banned gaming platform

What does the Online Gaming Act 2025 actually say?

The full title is the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025. Here are the key provisions in plain language:

What it bans

All real-money online games where users stake money on outcomes. This explicitly includes: opinion trading (Yes/No prediction apps), real-money rummy, online poker with cash stakes, casino-style games, and fantasy sports where cash is wagered. The ban applies to operators providing these services to users in India, regardless of where the operator is based.

What it permits

Free-to-play games with no real money at stake. Games of skill where no real money changes hands. SEBI-regulated investing and trading. State-run lotteries. Certain licensed daily fantasy sports formats that qualify as skill games under the Act’s framework (subject to state law as well).

Penalties for operators

Up to 3 years imprisonment and/or ₹1 crore fine for running a banned real-money gaming platform accessible to users in India. The Act also empowers enforcement agencies to block domains, freeze payment gateways, and — in conjunction with PMLA — attach assets of operators.

Who it targets

Primarily platform operators, not individual users. However, state gambling laws (which remain in force alongside the central Act) can penalise gambling participation. The practical risk for users is financial (no protection for money in banned apps) rather than primarily criminal.

Which platforms did the Act affect?

🚫 Shut Down or Exited

Probo (opinion trading), MPL Opinio, TradeX, SportsBaazi opinion features, real-money rummy apps operating without state licensing, online poker platforms without licensed status, casino-style game apps

✅ Still Operating

Dream11 (licensed daily fantasy), My11Circle (licensed), free-to-play prediction games, SEBI-registered investing apps (Zerodha, Groww, Angel One), state-licensed rummy platforms in permitted states

Frequently Asked Questions

▶What is the Online Gaming Act 2025?

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 is India’s central law banning real-money online games nationwide. It passed Parliament in August 2025 and ended the legal existence of platforms like Probo, real-money rummy apps, and online poker sites operating without specific licensing.

▶Did the Online Gaming Act 2025 ban Dream11?

Dream11 and similar licensed daily fantasy sports platforms navigated the Act through their established skill-game classification. Their current legal status depends on the specific state and their regulatory compliance. The Act’s primary targets were opinion trading and unregulated real-money gaming apps.

▶Is it illegal for users to play on banned apps?

The Act primarily targets operators. State gambling laws may penalise participation. The clearest risk for individual users is financial — money deposited into banned apps has zero legal protection — rather than criminal prosecution of users.

▶What happened to Probo because of this law?

Probo suspended all real-money operations on 21 August 2025, days after the Act passed. The company said it was respecting the government’s decision and discontinuing operations “until further notice.” No relaunch has been announced as of July 2026.

▶Can the Online Gaming Act 2025 be changed?

Laws can be amended by Parliament. There is no tabled amendment as of July 2026. Whether India will ever carve out a regulated prediction market category — as the US has done with CFTC-regulated platforms — is a policy question with no current answer.

📚 Sources

Storyboard18 — Probo shuts operations after Online Gaming Act
G2G News — Supreme Court notice and law coverage

Disclaimer: Informational only, not legal advice. Verified 15 July 2026.