New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- India will implement a comprehensive ban on online money games from October 1, while final rules for the country's data privacy law will be released next week, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Thursday. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), passed by Parliament in August, prohibits all forms of online money gaming while promoting e-sports and social gaming platforms. The legislation passed the Lok Sabha on August 20, the Rajya Sabha on August 21, and received presidential assent on August 22. "The rules will be promulgated with effect from October 1," Vaishnaw told reporters during a pre-event conference for the AI Impact Summit 2026 India, scheduled for February. The law prohibits online games offering cash rewards or virtual currencies convertible to money, while encouraging skill-based games without monetary stakes and recreational online activities. Violators face severe penalties: up to three years imprisonment and fines of Rs.1 crore for providing gaming services, with advertising such platforms punishable by two years jail time and Rs.50 lakh fines. Major platforms including Dream11, My11Circle, WinZO, Zupee, and Nazara Technologies-backed PokerBaazi have already suspended real-money gaming services. The government has conducted extensive consultations with industry players, banks and other stakeholders over three years. During the most recent consultation on September 1, Vaishnaw assured companies of adequate transition."In case they need some more time, we will definitely look at a more consultative approach, which has been our approach on practically everything we do," the minister said....