Centre Seeks Supreme Court Consolidation of Online Gaming Law Challenges
New Delhi: The Union government has approached the Supreme Court to consolidate multiple legal challenges against the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, currently pending in various high courts. The move aims to prevent conflicting rulings and ensure uniform judicial outcomes, according to a plea filed by the Centre on Thursday.
The petition was presented before a bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran. The Centre’s counsel emphasized the urgency, noting that the Karnataka High Court is scheduled to issue interim orders on a related case. The counsel requested the Supreme Court to list the matter for hearing on Monday, a request Chief Justice Gavai agreed to consider for next week.
The Online Gaming Act, passed by Parliament on August 21 and receiving presidential assent on August 22, is India’s first central law to impose a nationwide ban on real-money online gaming, including formats like fantasy sports. The legislation prohibits offering or participating in online games involving monetary stakes, regardless of whether they are based on skill or chance. Violations are classified as cognizable and non-bailable offenses.
Legal challenges to the Act have emerged in the high courts of Karnataka, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh, with petitioners arguing that the law infringes on constitutional rights, including the right to trade and business under Article 19(1)(g). The Centre’s transfer petition highlights the risk of divergent judicial interpretations if multiple high courts rule on the same legislation. It seeks to centralize all related cases in the Supreme Court to streamline adjudication and avoid contradictory verdicts.
The plea also requests a stay on all high court proceedings until the Supreme Court resolves the transfer petition. This development follows concerns raised by gaming companies, such as Head Digital Works and Bagheera Carrom, which argue that the Act’s blanket ban threatens their operations and the broader online gaming industry.