Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday underlined that “gaming is not bad but gambling is”, stressing the need to safeguard the future of India’s youth. Interacting with national award-winning teachers, PM Modi said the country has immense potential in the online gaming space.
He added that India could dominate the global online gaming market if developed correctly, noting that the sector offers significant job opportunities. The prime minister highlighted that it has the potential to generate employment while boosting India’s digital economy.
“India can dominate global online gaming market, if done in a right manner; there are huge job opportunities too. Gaming is not bad but gambling is, future of our youth must be safeguarded,” he stated.
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The remarks come after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 received Presidential assent last month in August, following its clearance by the Rajya Sabha in just 26 minutes. The law prohibits all forms of online money games while promoting e-sports, educational games, and social gaming. It also bans advertisements for money games and prevents banks and financial institutions from facilitating transactions related to such games.
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Online Gaming Bill 2025
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 seeks to curb all forms of online money games while promoting e-sports, educational, and social gaming. It prohibits advertisements for money games and bars banks and financial institutions from facilitating related transactions.
Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while introducing the Act earlier, told Parliament that people were losing their life savings in online money games, calling it a social evil. “From time to time, society grapples with social evils. In these circumstances, it is the duty of the government and the parliament to probe and make laws to control them,” he said.
