CART BEFORE THE HORSE: E-SPORTS REGULATION IN INDIA
- Aug 14
- 1 min read
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (“PROGA”) is the first legislation
that defines, and seeks to regulate, e-sports in India. Its introduction marked a watershed
moment for e-sports by distinguishing it from “online money gaming” as a “sporting” activity
and providing a framework for its recognition and growth.
One of PROGA’s stated objectives is promoting e-sports in India, through guidelines and
standards for conduct, establishment of training academies, research centres, and incentive
schemes, amongst others. The regulation of e-sports however is devised under a dual
regulatory mechanism (1) recognition under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, (“NSG
Act”), and (2) registration under PROGA, with the former being a pre-requisite for the latter.
In this article, we discuss e-sport regulation in India.