Question 1

The central government has total constitutional authority over all forms of betting and gambling.

Accepted Answer

Physical betting and gambling remain strictly State subjects under Entry 34 of the State List; the Union regulates the online aspect using its powers over internet and telecommunications.

Question 2

The Act targets and criminalizes ordinary citizens who are caught playing online poker or fantasy sports.

Accepted Answer

The Act targets the operators, advertisers, and payment facilitators, not the individual players, who face no criminal punishment for merely participating.

Question 3

Games of skill are still allowed to have cash prizes under the new Act.

Accepted Answer

The Act abolished the 'skill vs chance' distinction for online money games; any online game with financial stakes is banned regardless of the skill involved.

Question 4

Consider the following statements regarding the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025:
1. It criminalizes individual players caught participating in online real-money games.
2. It abolishes the judicial distinction between games of skill and games of chance for online platforms involving financial stakes.
3. It establishes the Central Online Gaming Authority (COGA) as a statutory regulatory body.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

(b) Only two — Statement 1 is incorrect because the Act targets operators, facilitators, and payment processors, specifically exempting individual participants from criminal punishment. Statement 2 is correct; it implements a blanket ban on all online money games, rendering the skill/chance debate irrelevant for real-money online platforms. Statement 3 is correct; it creates COGA to regulate e-sports and social gaming while enforcing the ban on money games.

Question 5

Match the features/mechanisms of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (List I) with their respective descriptions (List II):
List I:
A. Online Money Games
B. E-Sports
C. Social Games
D. Payment Gateways

List II:
1. Subject to a complete prohibition regarding processing of transactions for gambling
2. Categorized as completely prohibited if financial stakes are involved
3. Legally recognized as competitive sports eligible for national sports development
4. Allowed subject to registration, provided they focus on education or culture without stakes

Accepted Answer

(a) A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1 — A-2: Online Money Games are strictly prohibited under the Act. B-3: E-Sports are officially recognized and promoted as competitive sports. C-4: Social Games are allowed and registered for educational/recreational use without money. D-1: Payment Gateways are strictly barred from processing transactions for online money games.

Question 6

Assertion (A): The Union Government enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, to impose a uniform national ban on all forms of online money gaming.
Reason (R): Betting and gambling are subjects enumerated in the Union List (List I) of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India.
Select the correct answer:

Accepted Answer

(c) A is true but R is false — The Assertion is true; the 2025 Act does impose a centralized, nationwide ban on online money gaming. However, the Reason is false. Betting and gambling are explicitly mentioned in Entry 34 of the State List (List II), not the Union List. The Centre derived its legislative competence to regulate online gaming primarily through its control over telecommunications and information technology (Entry 31 of List I) and inter-state commerce.

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