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‘Gaming itself is not bad but…’: PM Modi on why govt brought law on online gaming
PM Modi said online gaming is not bad, but gambling is and that India can dominate the global online gaming market.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the recent law on online gaming and cited the instances of suicides and debt behind the ban on gambling.
Calling it a “major decision", PM Modi said that several online games were negatively influencing the students and that the future of the youth must be safeguarded.
During an interaction with the teachers in New Delhi, PM Modi said online gaming is not bad, but gambling is and that India can dominate the global online gaming market.
“It is a major decision because countless online games are negatively influencing our students. Many people were falling into debt, some even committing suicide,” PM Modi said, adding that families had been destroyed due to financial difficulties related to online games.
The prime minister was referring to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, that bars all forms of online money games.
The Prime Minister stated that while many online applications are portrayed as games, they incorporate gambling. “Unfortunately, they call it gaming, but it becomes gambling,” PM Modi said.
He said that the NDA-led government at the Centre had the "political will" to introduce the Bill, and is "concerned about the country's future".
PM Modi further said that such online games, which include gambling, are addictive. “Gaming in itself is not bad, but gambling is,” Modi added.
The Online Gaming Bill was recently passed by both the houses of the Parliament last month. Piloted by union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Act is aimed towards banning all forms of online money games while promoting eSports and online social gaming.
It further prohibits advertisements on online money games, banning banks and financial institutions from facilitating transactions for such activities.
The Act seeks to bring online games involving monetary aspects, particularly those played by depositing money and expecting winning monetary rewards, under its scope.
The Act makes offering and facilitation of online money gaming punishable with imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to ₹1 crore.
The rules and frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the Online Gaming Act will be issued by the Centre within the next three to four weeks, industry representatives were informed during the first consultation on the law with IT minister Vaishnaw.
