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ARTICLE · 04 AUGUST 2025

Online Gaming Not All Fun And Games

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The government has redoubled its efforts to bring online gaming platforms within the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). This follows concerns about unaccounted for funds...

IndiaMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
Aman Avinav
Aman Avinav
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The government has redoubled its efforts to bring online gaming platforms within the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). This follows concerns about unaccounted for funds flowing through real-money gaming platforms as money laundering. The move seeks to classify gaming firms as reporting entities under section 2(wa) of the PMLA, thereby imposing stringent know-your-customer (KYC) norms and transaction monitoring obligations under the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005 (rules).

The shift of regulatory focus to online gaming stems from a widescale crackdown by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on betting networks thought to be acting as conduits for laundering proceeds of crime. Many of the cases were against online betting apps, the most prominent being Mahadev Online Betting. In that probe, the ED seized assets worth INR3.88 billion (USD45.35 million) in 2024. The investigation uncovered complex networks of

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