India’s Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to begin final hearings on a batch of petitions challenging the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, the central law that imposes a blanket nationwide prohibition on online real-money games regardless of whether they involve skill or chance.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana directed the parties, including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the Union government, to complete their pleadings before the matter is taken up for final adjudication.
The listing brings the long-running constitutional challenge to the point of substantive hearing after the court deferred the case in December, when Kant ruled the petitions raised complex questions requiring a larger three-judge bench.
The court also agreed to hear a public interest litigation filed by the Center for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC), which seeks directions to the central government to prohibit online gambling and betting platforms that the petitioner alleges operate under the guise of social and e-sports games.
Appearing for CASC, advocate Virag Gupta told the bench that a separate bench led by Justice J.B. Pardiwala had previously directed the Center to respond to the plea, and that a list of 2,000 gaming applications said to be running betting and gambling operations in India despite the law had been submitted to both the bench and the government.
CASC is represented by former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Vikram Singh and advocate Shourya Tiwari, who have urged the court to order the government to curb the spread of betting and gambling apps they say are causing widespread social and economic harm.
The lead petitioner in the batch challenging the Act is evangelist Dr K.A. Paul, whose plea asks the Center to enact a uniform central framework prohibiting or regulating online and offline betting and gambling, and who has argued that the endorsement of such platforms by leading cricketers, actors and influencers is drawing children toward betting. The bench had earlier sought responses from the Center, Google India, Apple India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Dream11, Mobile Premier League, A23 Games and others.
The Act was passed by Parliament on 21st August 2025 and received presidential assent the following day, with the government notifying 1 May 2026 as its commencement date. It bans the offering, facilitation and advertising of online real-money games, bars banking services connected to them, and classifies violations as cognizable and non-bailable offenses, with penalties of up to INR10 million ($120,000) in fines and jail terms of up to three years.
Industry petitioners, including Head Digital Works, operator of A23 Rummy, have argued that the ban amounts to “civil death” for the sector and violates Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to carry on any lawful trade or profession. The challenges were originally filed in the Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi high courts before the Supreme Court transferred them to itself in September 2025 at the government’s request to avoid conflicting rulings.
