Centre mandates registration for e-sports games under online gaming law

MUMBAI: The game may begin only after the paperwork is done. The Centre has clarified that online games offered as e-sports must first be determined and registered with the Online Gaming Authority of India, marking a key step in implementing India’s new regulatory framework for online gaming.

The clarification was provided by Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on 29 July.

The minister said the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 received Presidential assent on 22 August 2025, while the accompanying Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 were notified on 22 April 2026. Both came into force on 1 May 2026.

Prasada also informed Parliament that the Online Gaming Authority of India has been constituted to implement the regulatory framework laid down under the Act.

According to the government’s response, an online game offered by an Online Game Service Provider (OGSP) must be determined by the Authority in three situations: when the Authority directs the provider to seek determination on its own initiative; when the game is proposed to be offered as an e-sport; or when the Central Government notifies specific categories of online social games for determination.

The government further clarified that registration with the Authority becomes mandatory if the Centre notifies a game or category of games for compulsory registration, or when a game is offered as an e-sport.

The clarification came in response to questions on whether registration had been made mandatory for e-sports games and gaming companies, whether rules had been framed for the purpose, whether the Online Gaming Authority had been established, and whether games that do not involve real-money play would generally be exempt from determination or registration.

While the government stopped short of explicitly exempting non-real-money games, its reply indicates that determination and registration requirements apply only in the circumstances specified under the Act and the Rules, including for e-sports titles or categories of games specifically notified by the Central Government.

The clarification provides greater regulatory certainty for India’s fast-growing gaming industry. By spelling out when determination and registration are required, the Centre has drawn a clearer distinction between games that fall within the regulatory framework and those that remain outside it, while signalling that organised e-sports will be subject to formal oversight under the new law.