The Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI) has received 201 complaints since India’s new online gaming framework took effect, although no games have yet been granted registration, according to information provided by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The figures were disclosed during a Central Information Commission (CIC) case concerning a Right to Information request seeking details of permitted online games, complaints and action against unauthorised offerings.
MeitY said the complaint total covered the period to 1 September.
India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 and accompanying 2026 Rules took effect on 1 May. The OGAI was formally constituted on 22 April and is responsible for functions including categorising games, handling complaints and issuing regulatory directions.
Under the Rules, registration is required when the Government directs that a game must be registered or when an online game is intended to be offered as an esport. Registration certificates issued by the OGAI are valid for 10 years.
The framework operates alongside a broader prohibition on online money games. The Act prevents operators from offering games involving stakes in expectation of monetary gain, regardless of whether the underlying game is based on skill or chance. Advertising and payment facilitation for such games are also prohibited.
MeitY told the CIC that "no online game has been granted registration under the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI), while 201 complaints had been received as on September 1, 2026".
The regulatory position remains subject to litigation. Multiple challenges to the constitutionality of the Act are pending before India’s Supreme Court.
Court records show the cases have been scheduled for final hearing on 6 and 7 October, while the legislation remains in force with no stay currently applying.
The proceedings follow a separate Supreme Court ruling in May that upheld state powers to prohibit online games involving stakes, overturning earlier decisions concerning restrictions in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
India’s Competition Commission also closed its investigation into Google’s real-money gaming policies this month after determining that the new legislation had removed the lawful market underlying the original competition concerns.
The OGAI can determine whether a game constitutes an online money game based on factors including stakes, expected monetary gains, revenue structure and the monetisation of rewards or in-game assets
