Online gaming bill 2025: Draft bill gives Govt officials power to search, arrest without warrant
Online Gaming Bill: The violator, indulging, aiding, or abetting in online gaming services, will be imprisoned for up to 3 years and fined, which can extend to Rs 1 crore.
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India's proposed online gaming bill, which is expected to be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, could hand over arbitrary powers to authorities. According to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, authorities are empowered to search and arrest without a warrant. They will be able to investigate any suspicious computer system, server, or communication device.
The government officials will be authorised to enter any place and search and arrest without warrant any person who is reasonably suspected of having committed or of committing or of being about to commit any offence under this Act, the bill stated.
"Any place" in the bill refers as- premises, virtual digital space, electronic records, electronic storage device, computer resource, vehicle, and building.
"The officer may, if necessary, gain access to such computer resource, virtual digital space, electronic records, or electronic storage device by overriding any access control or security code, where such code thereof is not available," the bill mentioned.
The violator, indulging, aiding, or abetting in online gaming services, will be imprisoned for up to 3 years and fined, which can extend to Rs 1 crore.
Those who will advertise, promote, or sponsor online money game or online money gaming services will end up in prison for up to 2 years and will be liable for a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.
Financial intermediaries, involved in facilitating payments for such games, will face similar penalties as the operators.
With this new online gaming bill, govt aims to regulate e-sports, educational and social gaming while imposing a blanket ban on online money games that involve monetary stakes. The Bill also prohibits advertisements of such prohibited games.
The bill outlines the establishment of a central regulatory authority that will provide policy support, oversee compliance, and promote innovation in the sector.
With the President’s recommendation secured under Article 117 of the Constitution, the Bill is slated for detailed discussion in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. If enacted, it will mark a major shift in India’s digital policy, positioning the country as a potential global leader in regulated online gaming while cutting off avenues for money-based gaming.
