Major real-money gaming platforms in India halted cash games after President Murmu signed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, into law
India’s online gaming policy had already tightened through a 28% tax on online gaming and a proposed app-distribution path tied to self-regulatory approval. The new law replaces that prospective framework for cash games with an immediate compliance constraint for major operators.
The halt follows Parliament’s passage of a nationwide real-money gaming ban and turns the legislative decision into an operating reality. Related coverage frames the policy around addiction and money-laundering concerns, while also identifying possible diversion to offshore crypto casinos.
First-order effects
Major Indian real-money gaming platforms have withdrawn cash-game offerings, immediately interrupting the core paid activity available to their users.
The law shifts compliance from a pending legislative risk to an active operational requirement for platforms serving India.
Second-order effects
Platforms, payment partners and distribution channels tied to cash-game activity must reassess which products and transactions they can support in India; non-cash gaming becomes the clearer remaining on-platform category.
A domestic shutdown may redirect some users to less regulated alternatives, including the offshore crypto-casino risk identified in coverage of the ban’s potential leakage.
Third-order effects
India is moving from taxing and potentially self-regulating real-money gaming toward a prohibition-led market structure, concentrating the sector’s future around permitted game formats rather than cash-play monetization.
If enforcement reaches payments and app distribution consistently, the policy’s effectiveness will depend less on domestic platforms’ compliance—already visible here—and more on its ability to limit cross-border substitutes.
The trend: This is one data point in governments treating real-money gaming less as a digital-entertainment category to regulate than as a consumer-harm and financial-integrity exposure to restrict.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE With a very heavy heart, we announce that PokerBaazi will be pausing its operations in compliance with The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. Effective immediately, no real money games will be offered on our platform. [image]
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 passed by the Parliament. The Bill takes a balanced approach - promoting what's good, prohibiting what's harmful for middle-class and youth. Here's a quick explainer 👇🧵 [image]
Knee jerk blanket ban on Online Real Money Gaming without consulting stakeholders or states is another masterstroke by Modi Sarkar in bad policy making. Here's why: Revenue hit: India earns ₹20,000 Cr annually from GST & income tax via online RMG. The ban means states lose
Your funds remain completely safe, and you will continue to have full access to your wallets for withdrawals. Our Player Relations team will remain available to support you with any queries or assistance you may need during this transition. -Team PokerBaazi
This Bill, passed by both Houses of Parliament, highlights our commitment towards making India a hub for gaming, innovation and creativity. It will encourage e-sports and online social games. At the same time, it will save our society from the harmful effects of online money
At Zupee, we have always respected the laws of the land and remain fully committed to operating with complete compliance. In line with the Online Gaming Regulation Bill 2025, we have discontinued real money gaming formats on our platform. In keeping with our responsibility toward
Zupee stops real money gaming, will continue to offer free to play games “Zupee remains fully operational and our players can continue to enjoy their favourite games on the platform. In line with the new Online Gaming Bill 2025, we are discontinuing paid games, but our hugely
@andymukherjee70 Andy, a good one, as always. Thank you. But what if the unintended is intended? We have perfected the art of making things available even when there is prohibition. Public finance suffers but people who make things available gain. Prohibition in Gujarat and now i…
A brilliant piece as always, Andy. “The money-laundering menace that the policymakers are trying to address could get worse. These offshore gambling proceeds will become a source of crypto liquidity for residents looking to jump controls on capital outflows.”
I was unaware about most of what @andymukherjee70 has pointed out in this piece - the scale of money involved, crypto being used for gambling... err... gaming. All that going underground is hardly a rational response from GoI.
Wherein I argue that all that prohibition ever does is to push people toward moonshine. Gift link in reply. India's Betting-App Ban Will Stoke Money Laundering - Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/...