The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Wednesday notified the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026, marking a significant step towards regulating the sector. The rules will come into effect on May 1 and aim to establish a comprehensive framework, including the creation of a dedicated digital gaming authority.According to a gazette notification, the Online Gaming Authority of India will be chaired by an Additional Secretary in MeitY. Joint Secretaries from the ministries of Home Affairs, Finance, Information and Broadcasting and Law and Justice will serve as ex officio members.Designed to function primarily as a digital office, the authority will maintain and publish a list of online money games, investigate complaints, issue directions and codes of practice and hear appeals against decisions taken by service providers on user grievances. It will also coordinate with financial institutions and law enforcement agencies to ensure effective enforcement.Parliament had cleared the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, in August last year. The rules seek to clearly distinguish between permissible online social games and prohibited online money games, with a transparent and time-bound classification mechanism. They also provide for a statutory registration regime for e-sports and certain categories of online social games.In addition, the rules mandate user safety features, grievance redressal mechanisms and transparency obligations for game service providers. They lay down procedures for inquiries, civil penalties and an appellate mechanism to ensure accountability, fairness and adherence to principles of natural justice.The primary focus of the rules is to safeguard users —particularly children and vulnerable groups — from risks associated with online money gaming, addictive design features and misleading claims of quick wealth. By defining clear regulatory criteria, the framework aims to provide certainty to the industry through predictable timelines and a digital-first approach to decision-making.The rules also introduce a system for penalising non-compliant operators, with proceedings conducted digitally and penalties determined based on the severity of violations and their impact on users.