The Supreme Court on Thursday said it will hear on November 4 a batch of petitions challenging the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, a central law that prohibits “online money games” and bars related banking and advertising services.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan fixed the date after senior advocates C. Aryaman Sundaram and Arvind P. Datar—appearing for petitioners before various high courts—mentioned the matter for scheduling.
Sundaram told the bench that the issue was earlier mentioned before Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, who indicated that it would be appropriate for the same bench led by Justice Pardiwala to hear the case as previously scheduled. “Then we will hear it,” Justice Pardiwala said.
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 is the first central legislation to impose a nationwide ban on real-money online gaming, including fantasy sports and e-sports played for stakes. The law has been challenged before the Delhi, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh High Courts on the ground that it imposes a blanket ban even on judicially recognised skill-based games.
The petitioners argue that the law violates Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to practice any profession or carry on any lawful trade or business. They contend that several Supreme Court judgments have held skill-based games like rummy and fantasy sports to be legitimate activities, and therefore, a total prohibition is unconstitutional.
On September 8, the Supreme Court allowed a plea by the Centre to transfer all pending challenges to the new gaming law from different high courts to the apex court to avoid conflicting decisions. The petitions titled Head Digital Works Pvt. Ltd. & Anr. vs Union of India (Karnataka HC), Bagheera Carrom (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. vs Union of India (Delhi HC), and Clubboom 11 Sports & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. vs Union of India (Madhya Pradesh HC) were among those transferred.
A bench led by Justice Pardiwala had then directed the high courts to transfer their complete case records, along with all interlocutory applications, to the Supreme Court within a week. “Let this transfer be done digitally to save time,” the bench had observed after hearing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the Union government.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) filed the transfer plea, stating that multiple litigations across high courts involved “the same or substantially similar questions of law” regarding the vires of the Act. The government said it was necessary to centralise the cases to “avoid any divergence of opinions or multiplicity of proceedings.”
The Centre maintains that the legislation aims to regulate and curb the growing problem of gambling-like activities disguised as online skill games. Under the Act, offering or participating in online money games—whether based on skill or chance—is a cognisable and non-bailable offence.
The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 20, 2025, passed by both Houses of Parliament within two days through a voice vote, and received presidential assent on August 22, 2025.
The upcoming hearing on November 4 is expected to determine whether the controversial law passes constitutional muster or requires modification to safeguard the rights of legitimate online gaming operators.
