The Supreme Court of India will hear a cluster of petitions challenging the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 on October 7. A bench comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice KV Viswanathan will preside over the proceedings.
Acting on a plea filed by the Union government, the Court has transferred to itself all similar cases pending before the High Courts of Karnataka, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh.
Directions have been issued to these courts to forward all records connected with the matters. The Centre argued that parallel hearings across multiple jurisdictions could result in contradictory rulings, and therefore requested consolidation of proceedings before the apex court.
Stringent Provisions Under the New Law
The Act, enacted earlier this year, seeks to ban all online money-based gaming services. It prescribes up to two years’ imprisonment and fines up to ₹50 lakh for advertising such games, and up to three years’ imprisonment and ₹1 crore in fines for facilitating related financial transactions.
Repeat offences may attract three to five years in prison and penalties up to ₹2 crore. Significantly, the Bill proposes to classify key offences as cognisable and non-bailable.
Beyond imposing restrictions, the legislation also aims to establish an authority to regulate and promote the broader online gaming sector, including e-sports, educational games and social games. It prohibits the offering, running, advertising, promotion or participation in online money games through computers, mobile devices or the internet.
The October 7 hearing will determine whether the stringent provisions of the Act withstand judicial scrutiny and could set a precedent for regulating India’s rapidly expanding online gaming industry.
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