A ban rewrites rules of India’s online play

India has the world’s second-largest internet population. Alongside this surge in users, the country has witnessed rapid growth in e-sports, social gaming, and real-money platforms, including rummy and poker. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (PROGRAM), which receives President Droupadi Murmu’s assent in August, promotes e-sports and social gaming but bans online real money games, departing from judicial precedents on the skill-chance distinction. It aims to encourage e-sports and social gaming segments, while banning all forms of DRUGs and their promotions. PROGA deviates from the landmark precedents of the Supreme Court and the high courts, which differentiated between games of skill and games of chance.