In India, the gaming industry has recently grown, and there has been an explosion of different online gaming platforms. Online gaming has become a mainstream source of entertainment and has gained increasing acceptance in India with a massive growth in number of online gamers. Maheshwari & Co. is one of the few law firms in India with a strong legal team that helps their clients navigate through the legal and regulatory environment, for establishing a business in this industry, in light of numerous central and state laws.

The Indian Gaming Laws have also been evolving over the period of time and like other countries, India has also recognised the need for moving from prohibition to regulation for the Gaming Industry.

Betting and gambling being state subjects (listed under Entry 34 under List II of Schedule VII), provides the states with the ultimate power to frame laws in their respective territories. Each state, hence, has its own anti- gambling law. Most of the states prohibit game of chance however game of skill is exempted from such prohibitions. Our Team at Maheshwari & Co. is well versed with the state-specific legislations and the relevant licensing requirements.

Recently, through the government notification dated 23rd December, 2022, the government has granted legal recognition to online gaming and stated that online gaming will be considered as a sport and will be regulated under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The Online Gaming (Regulation), Bill was also introduced in the Lok Sabha on 1st of April, 2022, regulating online gaming in India and giving it a legal status. It was introduced with the aim of establishing an effective regime to regulate online gaming industry, to prevent fraud and misuse on the internet gaming industry. The bill is applicable to whole of India except persons providing backend services in India, including hosting and maintenance services, for any international gaming website based outside India.

The Firm has a deep understanding of the fast-moving and dynamic gaming business and recognizes the ongoing convergence of gambling, casino & lotteries, casual & online social gaming.