Online gaming rules notified; Govt says determination, registration not mandatory for most games

NEW DELHI: (Apr 22) The government on Wednesday notified long-awaited rules to operationalise the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, paving the way for the sector's digital-first regulator, 'online gaming authority', and setting out a "regulation-light" framework that would not require mandatory registration or prior determination/classification for most online social games.

The rules come into effect from May 1, 2026.

Notably, the norms introduce a new concept of 'user safety features' as an enabling provision - technical, procedural, operational, behavioural or system-related safeguards appropriate to the risk profile of the game. These include age-verification and age-gating, time restrictions, parental controls, user reporting tools, counselling support, and fair-play and integrity monitoring. Service providers are required to disclose their `user safety features' and internal grievance mechanisms at the time of application for determination or registration.