India May Drop Gaming Registration for Non-Money Games
India Relaxes Gaming Registration Rules for Non-Money Games
The Centre plans to exempt non-monetary social and esports games from mandatory OGAI registration, shifting to a "deemed approved" model.
Highlights
- India may exempt non-monetary games from mandatory OGAI registration.
- The move rolls back parts of the PROGA framework, including strict registration and “material change” reporting requirements.
- OGAI’s infrastructure and broader framework remain under development and scrutiny.
The Indian government is planning to relax compliance requirements for gaming companies, signaling a recalibration of its regulatory approach less than a year after enacting online gaming legislation. Senior officials told Business Standard that the Centre is likely to remove the mandatory registration requirement for social-skills-based games and esports that do not involve any monetary transactions.
An official explained to Business Standard, “As long as there are no monetary transactions involved, most games should pass muster.” He further stated that the authority will investigate “only if there are complaints or instances of unfair or illegal practices in a game or a gaming company.”
The proposed rollback also extends to the “material change” provision, which previously required gaming companies to inform the OGAI of any modification to a game's features or revenue model, with non-compliance risking registration cancellation. That requirement is now likely to be dropped for non-monetary games.
The shift marks a departure from the October 2025 Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA) framework. PROGA proposed requiring all gaming companies, regardless of whether their titles involved real money, to register with the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI) and inform the authority of any changes.
These games will also be considered “deemed approved” by the OGAI. The new online gaming regulations are expected to be released in May or June 2026.
PROGA Framework is Still Taking Shape, as India Restructures Online Gaming Rules
The suggested modifications coincide with the ongoing development of the OGAI's operational infrastructure. Several portions of the Authority's website, which went live in March 2026, still have “under construction” notifications.
22 of the 49 applications that had been submitted to the OGAI as of that date has been accepted. A MediaNama RTI had separately revealed that MeitY held "no specific information" on stakeholder consultations about the OGAI's design.
PROGA was passed by Parliament on Aug 21, 2025, which established the OGAI. However, the regulatory architecture remains contested as the country’s gaming economy grows.
Author
Kamalikaa Biswas is a content writer at Outlook Respawn specializing in pop culture. She holds a Master's in English Literature from University of Delhi and leverages her media industry experience to deliver insightful content on the latest youth culture trends.
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