Does the PROG Act & Rules 2026 deliver a clear reset for online gaming in India?
By The Weekly Edge desk ·
Summary
India's federal online gaming framework, made up of the PROG Act and the 2026 Rules, took effect on 1 May and bans real-money games whether they turn on skill, chance or both. Only esports (which must be registered and involve no wagering) and online social games without monetary stakes remain permitted, and the authority can classify games by looking at revenue models and how rewards can be cashed out. Legal expert Aaron Kamath says some questions are still open, such as what counts as a "game", how adjacent formats like opinion trading are treated, and whether virtual tokens count as stakes, and he advises operators to remove stakes entirely.
Why it matters
India's PROG Act bans real-money games of skill or chance, so operators must remove stakes or face criminal liability, including offshore operators serving Indian users.