Online gaming corporations inform Supreme Court new regulation choking them out of existence

Online gaming corporations on Tuesday (October 7, 2025) mentioned the brand new on-line gaming regulation has not left them even an “avenue of functioning” and workers are being laid off.

“Our business is closed completely. Employees are laid-off. It is a huge issue for us,” senior advocate C.A. Sundaram and advocate Rohini Musa urged a Supreme Court Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Ok.V. Viswanathan for an early listening to.

The Bench deferred the case to November 4, after the Deepavali holidays, to present time for events to finish their pleadings.

The corporations have sought an interim keep of the implementation of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 which banned actual cash video games, associated banking providers and ads.

The authorities has argued that the regulation was essential to curb the speedy mushrooming of on-line cash video games creating “serious risks for individuals, families and the nation”.

The authorities has maintained that on-line cash video games have exploited loopholes within the regulation and induced deep social hurt.

It mentioned an estimated 45 crore folks had been negatively affected by on-line cash video games and confronted a lack of greater than ₹20,000 crore taking part in them.

On September 8, the apex courtroom had transferred to the apex courtroom separate petitions difficult the regulation, pending scattered throughout numerous State High Courts, together with Delhi, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

The Centre had transferred the petitions on the bottom that a number of proceedings earlier than the assorted High Courts would add to the confusion, particularly if the judgments contradict one another.

The writ petitions filed by on-line platforms and stakeholders within the High Courts had argued that the regulation was a violation of the appropriate to equality and freedom of expression, federalism and the settled distinction drawn between video games of ability and people of likelihood.

The authorities has argued that the legislature can’t be a mute spectator when on-line cash gaming platforms increase critical issues attributable to experiences of habit, monetary losses, cash laundering, and even circumstances of lack of lives linked to heavy financial losses. 

The Centre has argued that investigations have revealed that “some gaming platforms were being used for terror financing and illegal messaging, which compromise the country’s security”.

Besides, it said that playing and betting had been already restricted underneath Indian legal guidelines such because the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and by numerous State legislations. The on-line area had remained largely unregulated.