India Moves To Ban Real-Money Online Gaming Including Poker

While online and live poker have been largely thriving in the Asia-Pacific region, there has been a major development coming out of India that would put a major dent into the potential growth of the popular card game. On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the Lok Sabha (House of the People) passed the “Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025” which is now heading to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament) for further evaluation.

India Online Gaming Ban Proposal

The India online gaming bill in the current form suggests the ban of all online real-money games and promises severe punishments with up to three years in jail for all those deemed to be advertising them as well as facilitating the payment processing. Among the games included are most notably poker, rummy, online lotteries, and fantasy sports, while e-sports and social games would be allowed under a specific framework.

This sudden development comes one week after three Indian states – Goa, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh – invoked article 252 of the Constitution to authorize the Indian Parliament to act on state matters which would now effectively result in a nationwide ban. Goa was one of the states where offline gambling was allowed, though, poker players had to embark on boats to participate in live poker events.

India Online Poker Battles Only Mounting

The attempt to ban India online gaming isn’t new as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had pursued the same path in 2021 only to be denied by their respective State High Courts due to the skill nature of the competition. Instead, online poker was struck by a 28% Goods and Services Tax and rumors had surfaced that the percentage might be increased to 40% before the potentially final nail in the coffin came to light.

Indian poker pro Abhishek Goindi immediately took to social media and shared an emergency video to rally fellow poker enthusiasts after what he describes as a “dark day in Indian online gaming history”. Whether or not these efforts would have any chance to alter the outcome remains to be seen, because the only route of success may be an intervention by the Supreme Court.

The total ban on India online gaming would not only concern operators currently approved on Indian soil but also offshore companies, the latter of which are especially seen as culprits with predatory behavior. Concerns regarding money laundering and the financing of terror via cryptocurrency transactions play a key role in the push.

Poker Players Are Victims Of Exploitation

On the contrary, e-sports was recognized as a legitimate competitive sport whereas several other countries in Asia such as Taiwan and Thailand have already considered this to be the case for poker. Whether or not a sweepstakes model would technically be allowed under the new proposed law is currently unknown, but it appears to be certain that the booming online poker market in India will definitely no longer be the same.

Operators found to be in violation of the new potential law may face up to three years in prison and / or fines of up to 1 Crore (~ USD 307,000) whereas the advertising of such then illegal platforms would be fined up to 50 lakh (~ USD 153,500). Financial institutions would likewise face the more severe charges with repeat offenders on the hook for a lot more, presumably. 

However, the potential consequences for poker players would definitely not fall into the same category as they are instead seen as victims of “addiction and exploitation”. The online poker industry had been thriving despite the severe tax punishments in the last two years while it remained in somewhat of a grey area and delivered significant annual tax income to the country.

Online Poker In India Remains Uncertain

All of that may now become obsolete even while the game of poker can be considered as a game of skill according to the various court cases throughout the years. The legal battle may not be lost just yet but the prospect at the moment appears to be rather bleak. Poker consultant and commentator Aditya Wadhwani launched a petition on Chance.org against the suggested blanket ban to reject or amend the suggested bill which “unfairly targets games of skill” including poker.

If no changes are made, the online poker operators would have no choice but to leave the Indian market entirely and cease all monetary gambling transactions with Indian players as soon as the law goes into effect. That would also affect the unique team-based Poker Sports League which is free to play and has online qualifiers on PokerBaazi, one of the most popular online platforms in the Indian poker market and title sponsor of the competition.

The only other online options would be offshore operators and app sites, but even these might come under severe scrutiny if ties to players from India were made. Other live poker opportunities in the country are also scarce, and many well-known poker pros from the country have already been traveling abroad to continue their profession especially within the nearby Asia-Pacific region.