India Clarifies Mandatory OGAI Registration Process for Esports Games Offered Online

Online games that are offered as esports in India must first undergo assessment and registration with the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI), the central government has clarified.

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada explained the requirement in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on July 29, as reported by Storyboard18.

Under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026, any service provider seeking to offer a game as an esport is required to apply for a “determination.” Through this process, OGAI evaluates whether the game qualifies as “an esport, an online social game or a prohibited online money game.”

The government has also made it clear that registration is not granted on a blanket basis.

Instead, every individual game offered by every individual service provider must obtain its own separate registration. In addition, before OGAI can register a title as an esport, the game must already be recognised under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

The clarification further noted that non-real-money online social games are not automatically subject to the determination and registration process. However, such games may still be required to undergo assessment if OGAI specifically directs them to do so or if they fall within a category that is notified by the central government.

India's online gaming regulatory framework was formally established after the 2025 online gaming law received presidential assent in August last year. The corresponding Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 were subsequently notified in April and came into force on May 1.

By fLEXI tEAM