UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Government Enacts Online Gaming Act 2025, Prohibits All Forms of Online Money Games and Promotes Safe Digital Ecosystem

Q1. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 is administered by which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
  • B. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
  • C. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

Q2. Under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026, the digital Certificate of Registration issued by the Online Gaming Authority of India is valid for a period of up to how many years?

  • A. 3 years
  • B. 5 years
  • C. 10 years
  • D. 15 years

Q3. In the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, 'Betting and gambling' is enumerated under which one of the following?

  • A. Entry 34 of the Union List
  • B. Entry 34 of the State List
  • C. Entry 62 of the State List
  • D. Entry 31 of the Union List

Q4. Of the three Supreme Court judgments on the skill-versus-chance distinction superseded by the PROG Act, 2025 — R.M.D. Chamarbaugwala (1957), State of A.P. v. K. Satyanarayana (1967) and K.R. Lakshmanan v. State of Tamil Nadu (1996) — how many were delivered before the year 1970?

  • A. 1
  • B. 2
  • C. 3
  • D. None

Q5. Before the PROG Act, 2025, the proposal to create Self-Regulatory Bodies (SRBs) to verify and register online games was introduced through amendments to which one of the following?

  • A. The Information Technology Act, 2000
  • B. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
  • C. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
  • D. The Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information) Rules, 2009

Q6. Under the PROG Act, 2025, which of the following are correctly matched with their treatment (game category : treatment)?

  1. Online money game involving predominant skill : Permitted
  2. E-sport recognised under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 : Promoted
  3. Online social game offered solely for recreation : Promoted
  4. Online money game played using virtual digital assets : Permitted
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2, 3 and 4

Q7. As defined under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, an 'online money game' is best described as:

  • A. An online game in which a user pays money or other stakes (including credits, coins or tokens convertible to money) in expectation of winning money or other enrichment, whether the outcome is determined by skill, chance or both
  • B. Any online game whose outcome is determined predominantly by chance and in which no element of skill is involved
  • C. A multiplayer online game played competitively at recognised multi-sports events with predefined rules
  • D. An online game charging a subscription or one-time access fee but offering no monetary winnings to players