MeitY notifies Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026; in force from 1 May
MeitY announced on 22 April 2026 the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026, framed under Section 19 of the PROG Act, 2025, which come into force on 1 May 2026 and set up the Online Gaming Authority of India.
Summary
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 were announced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the nodal ministry, on 22 April 2026 and come into force on 1 May 2026. The rules are made under Section 19 of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming (PROG) Act, 2025, which Parliament enacted in August 2025 to curb online money games while enabling e-sports and online social games. The rules provide a time-bound mechanism to decide whether a game is a prohibited online money game or a permissible social game or e-sport, establish the Online Gaming Authority of India as a digital-first regulator, create a registration regime for e-sports and notified social games, prescribe user-safety and grievance obligations, lay down the procedure for civil penalties under Section 12, and provide an appellate mechanism.
Key facts
- Rules
- Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026
- Parent Act
- PROG Act, 2025 (enacted August 2025); rules under Section 19
- In force
- 1 May 2026
- Regulator
- Online Gaming Authority of India (digital-first)
- Registration
- E-sports and notified categories of online social games
- Penalties
- Civil penalties under Section 12; appellate mechanism
Practice MCQs 3 questions
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 come into force on:
Show answer
Correct answer: B — 1 May 2026
MeitY said the Rules will come into force on 1 May 2026.
Which body do the Online Gaming Rules, 2026 establish as a unified, digital-first regulator for the sector?
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Correct answer: A — Online Gaming Authority of India
The Rules establish the Online Gaming Authority of India as a unified, digital-first regulator.
Consider the following statements about the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming (PROG) Act, 2025 and its Rules: 1. The Act was enacted by Parliament in August 2025. 2. The Rules have been framed under Section 12 of the Act. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
The PROG Act was enacted in August 2025; the Rules were made under Section 19 (Section 12 deals with civil penalties), so only statement 1 is correct.