The Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI), which assumed charge as the statutory sectoral regulator on Friday, will prioritise registration of eSports entities and public grievance redressal, ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) officials said.
An official portal for eSports entities to seek digital registration certificates has gone live, they said.
With new online gaming rules taking effect from May 1, the six-member OGAI has begun functioning as an attached, digital-first office under MeitY.
Its most pressing task will be to handle a surge in registration applications from eSports entities. Any platform branding its tournament as an eSport must register with OGAI to remain compliant with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. The 10-year registration is expected to protect developers from state-level gambling crackdowns.
"A portal has already been designed and launched by the National e-Governance Division (NeGD). It offers requisite resources for registration as eSports or online social games, and will be scaled up further. Applications have begun coming in, and many have been successfully approved and certificates issued. Effort is being taken to ensure no real money games (RMG) masquerading as eSports are approved," an official said.
To tighten approvals, applicants must also obtain certification from the ministry of youth affairs and sports. Building public trust in online gaming is another key focus. The rules mandate that all online gaming service providers establish and maintain a functional grievance redressal mechanism.
Users can approach the authority within 30 days if complaints remain unresolved. The authority must dispose of appeals within a further 30 days, giving it a two-month window to operationalise this function, officials said. The OGAI will also determine whether a game qualifies as a money game, either on complaint or suo motu.
Gazette notifications issued by MeitY on April 22 established the authority. The additional secretary, MeitY, will serve as chairperson, while joint secretaries from five ministries-home affairs, information and broadcasting, youth affairs and sports, Department of Financial Services, and Department of Legal Affairs-will be members. The Centre is also running a competition to design the authority's logo until May 12.
Officials estimate the Indian online gaming market generated ₹23,200 crore in revenue in 2024, with 77% coming from transaction-based games. The sector is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11% to ₹31,600 crore by 2027. In August last year, Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which shut down RMGs citing rising cases of suicides, addiction and behavioural shifts linked to such games.
An official portal for eSports entities to seek digital registration certificates has gone live, they said.
With new online gaming rules taking effect from May 1, the six-member OGAI has begun functioning as an attached, digital-first office under MeitY.
Its most pressing task will be to handle a surge in registration applications from eSports entities. Any platform branding its tournament as an eSport must register with OGAI to remain compliant with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. The 10-year registration is expected to protect developers from state-level gambling crackdowns.
"A portal has already been designed and launched by the National e-Governance Division (NeGD). It offers requisite resources for registration as eSports or online social games, and will be scaled up further. Applications have begun coming in, and many have been successfully approved and certificates issued. Effort is being taken to ensure no real money games (RMG) masquerading as eSports are approved," an official said.
To tighten approvals, applicants must also obtain certification from the ministry of youth affairs and sports. Building public trust in online gaming is another key focus. The rules mandate that all online gaming service providers establish and maintain a functional grievance redressal mechanism.
Users can approach the authority within 30 days if complaints remain unresolved. The authority must dispose of appeals within a further 30 days, giving it a two-month window to operationalise this function, officials said. The OGAI will also determine whether a game qualifies as a money game, either on complaint or suo motu.
Gazette notifications issued by MeitY on April 22 established the authority. The additional secretary, MeitY, will serve as chairperson, while joint secretaries from five ministries-home affairs, information and broadcasting, youth affairs and sports, Department of Financial Services, and Department of Legal Affairs-will be members. The Centre is also running a competition to design the authority's logo until May 12.
Officials estimate the Indian online gaming market generated ₹23,200 crore in revenue in 2024, with 77% coming from transaction-based games. The sector is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11% to ₹31,600 crore by 2027. In August last year, Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which shut down RMGs citing rising cases of suicides, addiction and behavioural shifts linked to such games.