A petition challenging the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 was heard today before a division bench of Chief Justice Sachdeva and Justice J. Saraf at the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Senior Advocate Gopal Jain, assisted by Advocate Amol Apte, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that fantasy sports is a recognized category, with several judicial pronouncements supporting its legality. He argued that the government’s approach should focus on regulation rather than outright prohibition.
The petitioner’s counsel further contended that the intermediary guidelines under the IT Act acknowledge permissible online games, and therefore, a blanket prohibition would be unreasonable and disproportionate.
The Court granted the Union of India, four weeks to file its reply. The petitioners were permitted to file a rejoinder thereafter.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on 28 October 2025.