New Delhi, April 22 -- The Centre on Wednesday cemented its ban on real-money online gaming, notifying rules under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, and reiterating that such platforms will not be allowed to operate in India.

The rules, effective 1 May, prohibit online real-money gaming, while allowing non-monetary games to operate without mandatory registration, except in select categories such as e-sports, and provide for the creation of a regulatory authority to oversee the sector.

"It is very clear that online money gaming is banned and they cannot be registered or determined under the Act," electronics and IT ministry secretary S. Krishnan said in a press conference, adding that the government has opted for a...