He has logged some 19,500 games on his app, often wagering thousands in a single round. On one particularly devastating day, he lost Rs 1.5 lakh, convinced that he was about to win it all back. The Central Consumer Protection Authority urges all stakeholders to adhere strictly to these guidelines and refrain from promoting or endorsing activities that are illegal under Indian law. Another study, titled ‘The Economic Impacts of Video Game Technology Spillover’,40 assessed how video game technologies contribute to non-game sectors in the United Kingdom and select Nordic economies. The second highest earning country is the United Kingdom, with projected revenue of $13.78 billion in 2024. The UK has the second-highest number of gamblers, with 27.9% of the population having gambled online, even though the UK is projected to have the fourth-lowest increase in revenue this year, with a 7.4% increase expected in 2024.

Its operations are fully legal, adhering to gambling laws in every jurisdiction where it is available. Rohit Sharma, a research fellow at the Union ministry of defence’s think-tank MP-IDSA, points to the 2024 Fiewin case—a gaming app run by Chinese operators that laundered nearly Rs 400 crore from Indian users—as a wake-up call. The ED’s probe into Fiewin revealed a web of international transactions routed through ‘mule’ accounts and cryptocurrency wallets—making detection and enforcement exceedingly difficult. Experts argue that even games requiring some level of skill can be manipulated with mechanisms like flashy visuals, near-misses and random rewards—known to trigger dopamine rushes akin to gambling.

The proliferation of these illegal platforms exposes users to financial fraud, as they are not able to distinguish them from legitimate, safe online games. Besides, India may have banned real money gaming but apps operating outside the country can operate using loopholes in gaming and advertising law. These apps are not the only ones to use surrogate advertising tactics – pan masala companies and alcohol brands routinely advertise themselves with placeholder products such as elaichi and music CDs.

1Win promotes responsible gambling and provides melbet dedicated resources on this topic. Players can access various tools, including self-exclusion, to manage their betting activities responsibly. The site operates under an international license, ensuring compliance with strict regulatory standards.

Blacknut has partnered with Airtel for a 5G demo in the past and Ubisoft for a larger games bundle.

Viswanathan is expected to take up the matter for hearing after the Diwali vacation. Government sources highlighted that the bill’s primary objective is to curb the negative social impact of betting-based online games and prevent young individuals from falling prey to exploitation. “This bill will help steer youth away from harmful distractions and reduce the adverse effects these games have on society,” an official said.

The license fee varies, and licensees must pay 0.5% of the gross revenue generated as royalty. The Hon’ble High Court of Punjab and Haryana ruled that fantasy sports games like Dream11 involve skill as a dominant element, making them legitimate. This ruling has led to the rapid development and expansion of fantasy sports apps and websites. The petitioners include Head Digital Works (the parent company of real-money gaming platform A23), Clubboom 11 Sports and Entertainment Pvt. On 8 September, the Supreme Court consolidated all pending matters for joint hearing.

• Real money gaming is banned in India under its Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, but the law doesn’t cover offshore betting apps such as 1xBet, 1xWin, Stake and Parimatch.
• This demand for more secure and transparent solutions further spurs blockchain advancement.
• He has logged some 19,500 games on his app, often wagering thousands in a single round.
• This mismatch complicates enforcement, leaving grey areas for platforms to exploit.

Off-shore Betting

However, it is worth recalling that in a Lok Sabha reply on 26 March 2025, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that ‘betting and gambling’ are state subjects, falling under Entry 34 of the State List. He had also replied that ‘police’ and ‘public order’ are state subjects, making states and Union Territories primarily responsible for preventing, detecting and prosecuting crimes related to illegal betting and gambling. Gambling, as a practice, is illegal in all states except Goa, Daman & Diu, Sikkim, and Nagaland. Games of chance are considered gambling in India, and banned in common houses under Entry 34 of List II of the Constitution of India, except in some states like Sikkim and Nagaland, that regulate it. This is since such games result in the exchange of money based on the outcome of an uncertain future event, and involve limited learned ability, strategy, physical coordination or strength, technical expertise, or specific knowledge.

The bookmaker at 1Win provides a wide range of betting options to satisfy gamblers from India, particularly for well-known events. The advisory highlights that, the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, categorically prohibit advertisements of products or services prohibited under any prevailing law. The Government should expedite the implementation of IT Rules 2023, establish SRBs and define permissible games. Alternatively, the MeitY can accelerate developing the proposed alternate framework102 to handle the verification process. Specific frameworks can be designed to determine permissible games, minimising discretionary element. His work reflects a strong commitment to clarity, precision, and integrity in legal communication, empowering enterprises to make informed, compliant, and growth-oriented decisions.

The ruling has the potential to not only determine the fate of RMGs in India but also to provide an important clarification on the balance of legislative power between the Union and the states. The skill-chance distinction is supported by empirical and mathematical analyses. In 2023, the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, found that success in rummy is significantly influenced by skill. The same year, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, concluded that online card games demand a predominance of skill for consistent success.

Instead of an outright ban, the Union could have implemented licensing, age verification, time limits and responsible gaming frameworks. Further, ‘betting and gambling’ is explicitly a state subject under Entry 34 of the State List. The question is whether Parliament can justify regulating an industry that falls squarely under the State List by invoking general Union List entries. If this precedent is allowed, it can raise concerns of creeping centralisation in other domains where the Constitution explicitly grants the states legislative exclusivity. In a country where simplicity often beats complexity, browser gaming is poised to become one of the most important forms of digital entertainment for years to come.