The story so far:
O
n August 20, the Lok Sabha passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 after seven minutes of discussion. The Rajya Sabha passed it the next day and the Bill became law after receiving Presidential Assent on August 22. Government data suggests that Indians are losing ~₹15,000 crore every year due to “Real Money Games” (RMGs). The World Health Organization (WHO) has linked RMGs to compulsive behaviour, psychological distress, financial hardship, and an overall disruption of family life. Reflecting these dangers, 32 cases of suicide attributed to online gaming addiction have been reported in Karnataka in the past 31 months. The RMG industry says this ban may threaten more than two lakh jobs across 400+ companies.
