45 crore Indians lost Rs 20,000 crore yearly to money games, new Gaming Bill to guide youth

New Delhi: Nearly 45 crore Indians are losing close to Rs 20,000 crore every year to real-money online games, according to government estimates.

The huge losses and the tragedies linked to them have pushed the government to act. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, has now become law after being passed by both houses of Parliament and receiving the President’s assent.

The new framework bans harmful real-money games while promoting e-sports and educational gaming platforms.

The aim is to protect families from financial ruin and addiction, while still supporting the industry’s potential to create jobs, attract investment and put India on the global e-sports map.

The scale of the crisis has been alarming. Reports from different states reveal heartbreaking stories: young people trapped in debt, families destroyed, and even suicides linked to gaming losses.

In Karnataka alone, 18 suicides in the past three years were connected to online money games. In Mysuru, a family of three died by suicide after losing Rs 80 lakh.

Similar cases have been reported from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mumbai and Hyderabad, showing how widespread the problem has become.

At the same time, the growth of e-sports presents a very different picture. The industry already provides 1.5 lakh direct jobs, a number expected to double by 2030.

For every direct role, two to three more are created in logistics, content and analytics. Importantly, nearly 40 per cent of gamers come from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, showing how gaming is spreading opportunities beyond metros.

Indian-developed games like FAU-G have also earned millions of dollars overseas, while the country is positioning itself for international e-sports tournaments.

The government says the bill was drafted after extensive consultations with ministries, enforcement agencies, banks, parents, and the gaming industry.

Officials argue that the law strikes a balance by drawing a clear line between gambling-style money games and genuine skill-based e-sports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself signalled the importance of this sector earlier this year when he met India’s top gamers.

In a lighter moment, he even used the gamer slang “noob,” but behind the humour lay a serious message.

That message has now become policy, and with the new law, India has drawn its own battle lines in the gaming world — separating predators from genuine players.

IANS