Parents welcome Act banning online money games; experts seek proper enforcement

Bhubaneswar: The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which received presidential assent on Friday, has been welcomed by many parents in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack as a step towards protecting children from addictive behaviour on such platforms and financial losses, while experts called for proper enforcement.The legislation mandates that offering or facilitating online money gaming will be punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years and/or a fine of up to Rs 1 crore. It also empowers the Centre to block platforms found violating the rules."My son spends over five hours daily on mobile games, even during exams," said Sulochana Nayak, a resident of Sector-6, CDA. "We welcome the Act if it helps control addictive behaviour and curbs wasting of money on in-game purchases," she added."We agree online betting needs to be banned, but the Act should not affect skill-based e-sports," said Aditya Rout, a college student and part-time gamer. "Many youngsters are earning through streaming and competitions. The law shouldn't kill that scope," added Rout.Biyot Projna Tripathy, a resident of Jayadev Vihar who works on safety of technology, believes the bill's success lies in execution. "It could have been prepared much earlier, which might have saved several young lives falling victim to online betting apps. Any sort of betting should be banned. Govt must involve schools and local bodies to create awareness," added Tripathy.Gaming entrepreneurs are worried about the impact on startups. "India's gaming market is growing. There are lakhs of developers and IT professionals working in the industry. Regulations are welcome, but they should be progressive," said Sakyasingha Mahapatra, co-founder of a Bhubaneswar-based startup. "Clear definition of games of skill and chance are needed, or innovation will suffer," added Mahapatra.Deepak Kumar Nath, a cybersecurity expert, appreciated the move but stressed the need for stringent enforcement. "It's a positive step that rules have finally been framed, but the real challenge lies in enforcement. Govt must create concrete regulatory mechanisms to crack down on companies that are based abroad but operate illegally in India," he said.