Online Gaming Addiction and Fraud Guide India (2026)

Last reviewed: 1 September 2026.

Two different crises arrive in the same household, and they need different remedies. A working adult puts several lakh into a real-money platform, wins, and then cannot get the withdrawal honoured — the account is frozen, the emails stop, and the money is gone. In the next room a teenager is missing school, awake all night and spending on in-app purchases. The first is a fraud and consumer problem with a police and consumer-forum route; the second is a health problem with a medical and school route. This guide keeps them separate, because the paperwork, the deadlines and the people you approach are not the same. (The scenarios described here are illustrative composites, not reports of particular cases.)

Citizen Crisis Response Network

If you or a family member faces gaming fraud, addiction-driven financial loss, or platform refusal to refund deposits, this guide arms you with BNS 2023 provisions, BNSS 2023 procedures, Consumer Protection Act 2019 remedies, sample legal notices, FIR templates, and actionable steps to reclaim money, secure medical intervention, and hold platforms accountable. The Citizen Crisis Response Network is a public-knowledge commons—no helpline sells you a lawyer; you act as your own first responder.

Since 1 May 2026 online money games are banned across India under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025, and the regulator is the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI), an attached office of MeitY. If you have already lost money, work through this sequence. 1. Identify the fraud type: phishing, rigged algorithms, fake withdrawals, or addiction-induced overspending. 2. Preserve evidence: screenshots, transaction IDs, platform emails, bank statements. 3. File FIR under BNS 2023 sections 318 (cheating), 319 (cheating by personation), or 66D IT Act 2000 (phishing) at the nearest cyber police station or National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, and call 1930 the same day. 4. Lodge consumer complaint under Consumer Protection Act 2019 for deficiency in service, unfair trade practices. 5. Send legal notice demanding refund, account closure, data deletion. 6. For a minor's addiction, seek counselling through the District Mental Health Programme or Tele-MANAS on 14416, and approach the district Child Welfare Committee under the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 only if the child is actually neglected or at risk. 7. Report a platform still offering money games to OGAI and MeitY; if a surviving platform (free-to-play or e-sports) ignores your grievance, escalate to the Grievance Appellate Committee.

• Understanding online gaming fraud and addiction in India 2026
• Legal framework: BNS 2023, IT Act 2000, Consumer Protection Act 2019
• Types of gaming fraud: phishing, rigged outcomes, fake tournaments
• Recognising gaming addiction: medical, behavioural, financial markers
• Filing FIR and cybercrime complaint: step-by-step procedure
• Consumer forum complaint for refunds and compensation
• Sending legal notice to gaming platforms
• Child protection mechanisms for minors addicted to gaming
• Government bodies, helplines, and regulatory oversight
• Sample FIR, legal notice, consumer complaint, RTI application
• Myth vs reality: gaming fraud and addiction misconceptions
• Frequently asked questions

India's online gaming market is large, but the revenue and user numbers in circulation come from industry consultancies rather than any government count, so treat any single headline figure with caution. What matters legally is the split. Online money games — where you stake money or other value on an outcome — have been prohibited nationwide since 1 May 2026. Free-to-play games with in-app purchases, and registered e-sports, remain legal. Fraud shows up as phishing links imitating well-known gaming apps, claims of rigged random-number generators (RNGs), fake withdrawal confirmation emails, unauthorised debits via saved UPI mandates or card e-mandates, and “bot” opponents presented as real players.

Addiction differs from fraud but often coexists. The WHO's ICD-11 classifies gaming disorder as impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities, and continuation despite negative consequences for ≥12 months (shorter if severe). Indian prevalence estimates differ widely between studies and no national figure has been published, but clinicians consistently report that adolescent boys are the group most often brought in for treatment.

Both fraud and addiction trigger financial ruin, academic failure, job loss, domestic violence, and suicide. The National Crime Records Bureau does not publish a separate head for gaming fraud, so there is no reliable national count — these cases are absorbed into the general cyber-fraud figures. Addiction cases rarely appear in crime statistics at all, but surface in family courts, juvenile boards and psychiatry OPDs.

Warning — Gaming platforms often bury refund clauses in 40-page Terms of Service, invoke “skill vs chance” loopholes to evade gambling laws, and redirect complaints to foreign arbitration forums. Read ToS before depositing; Indian courts retain jurisdiction under Consumer Protection Act 2019 if the platform operates or advertises in India.

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 (Act 45 of 2023) replaced the Indian Penal Code 1860 with effect from 1 July 2024. Relevant sections:

• Section 318 (Cheating): Fraudulently or dishonestly inducing a person to part with property. Simple cheating under s.318(2) carries up to 3 years, or fine, or both. Where the cheating dishonestly induces the delivery of property, s.318(4) carries up to 7 years and fine — that is the sub-section most gaming fraud falls under. Covers rigged games, fake tournaments, phishing.
• Section 319 (Cheating by personation): Impersonating a legitimate platform or another person; punishment under s.319(2) is up to 5 years, or fine, or both.
• Section 336 (Forgery): Fake winning certificates, doctored leaderboards. Plain forgery under s.336(2) carries up to 2 years; forgery committed for the purpose of cheating falls under s.336(3), which carries up to 7 years and fine.

Information Technology Act 2000 (amended 2008; the IT Rules 2021 are issued under it):

• Section 66C (Identity theft): Using another's login credentials; imprisonment up to 3 years + ₹1 lakh fine.
• Section 66D (Cheating by personation using computer resource): Phishing, fake apps; imprisonment up to 3 years + ₹1 lakh fine.
• Section 43 (Penalty and compensation for damage to computer, computer system): Compensation payable to the affected person for unauthorised access, downloads or data theft. Section 43 itself sets no ceiling — the ₹5 crore figure usually quoted is the adjudicating officer's jurisdictional limit under Section 46(1A); a claim above that goes to the competent court.

Consumer Protection Act 2019:

• Section 2(7) (Consumer): Person who pays for online gaming service.
• Section 2(47) (Unfair trade practice): Misleading advertisements promising guaranteed wins, hidden RNG manipulation.
• Section 34 (Jurisdiction of District Commission): Complaints up to ₹50 lakh — the figure prescribed by the Consumer Protection (Jurisdiction of the District Commission, the State Commission and the National Commission) Rules 2021. Section 35 is a different provision: it sets out the manner in which a complaint shall be made and who may file it.
• Chapter VI, Sections 82–87 (Product liability): A product manufacturer is liable under Section 84, and a product service provider under Section 85, where a defective product or deficient service causes harm. (Section 74 is unrelated — it provides for the establishment of consumer mediation cells.)

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 empowers Child Welfare Committees to intervene where a child is a “child in need of care and protection” as defined in Section 2(14). Be aware that gaming addiction is not one of the twelve listed grounds — they cover abandonment, neglect or abuse by a carer, mental illness with no one fit to look after the child, induction into drug abuse or trafficking, and similar situations. Clause (ix), sometimes wrongly cited for gaming, is the drug abuse and trafficking clause. A gaming-addicted child reaches the Committee only if one of the actual clauses is made out, most often neglect or an unfit guardian. For addiction on its own, the route is medical.

Public Gambling Act 1867 remains in force for chance-based gambling; states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also banned real-money online skill games (rummy, poker) between 2017 and 2023. Those bans were challenged, but on 27 May 2026 the Supreme Court upheld the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka bans (State of TN v. Junglee Games, 2026 INSC 594), holding that online gaming addiction, financial losses and suicides disturb public order and that states may ban betting even on skill games. Check your state's gazette notifications.

Most citizens miss this — Filing both criminal FIR (BNS 2023) and civil consumer complaint (CPA 2019) simultaneously is legal and strategic. FIR triggers police investigation, freezing accounts; consumer complaint awards compensation within 6–12 months, faster than sessions court trials.

1. Phishing and fake apps: WhatsApp messages, SMS claiming “You won ₹50,000 Dream11 tournament—click link to claim.” Link downloads APK (Android package) that steals banking OTPs, passwords. The real platform never sends prize links via SMS.

2. Rigged random-number generators: Users regularly allege that a platform's RNG is manipulated so that the house always wins. Be careful what you believe about this online. The Supreme Court judgment that settled the online gaming question — State of Tamil Nadu v. Junglee Games India Pvt. Ltd., 2026 INSC 594, decided 27 May 2026 — does not discuss RNGs, RNG certification or independent testing labs anywhere in its text, so any claim that “the Supreme Court found no evidence of manipulation” or endorsed lab certification is not supported by that judgment. Proving RNG manipulation from outside a platform is very hard in practice. The stronger case is almost always documentary: unpaid withdrawals, arbitrary account suspension, and fees demanded outside the published terms.

3. Withdrawal fraud: User wins ₹2 lakh, initiates withdrawal; platform delays, demands “processing fee” ₹20,000, then vanishes. Genuine platforms deduct fees from winnings, never demand upfront payment.

4. Bot opponents: In skill-based poker/rummy, platform deploys AI bots that play perfectly, ensuring user losses. User believes opponents are real players.

5. Fake tournaments and influencer scams: Social-media influencers promote unregistered offshore platforms advertising large prize pools; once entry fees are collected the platform disappears and the operators are untraceable. Since 1 May 2026 both offering and advertising an online money game is itself an offence, so the promoter can be reported too, not only the platform.

6. Unauthorised recurring debits: User plays one free tournament, unknowingly consents to UPI auto-pay; platform debits ₹999/month. Under the RBI's e-mandate framework for recurring payments, a recurring debit above ₹15,000 needs additional factor authentication such as an OTP; below that threshold the debit goes through on the standing mandate alone, which is exactly how small monthly charges go unnoticed. (A higher ₹1 lakh threshold applies to insurance premiums, mutual fund subscriptions and credit card bill payments.) Review the mandates listed in your bank or UPI app and cancel any you did not intend.

7. Account takeover: Hacker steals login, transfers wallet balance, changes withdrawal account. Platforms often refuse liability, citing user negligence.

Do this immediately — Screenshot every transaction confirmation, email, in-game chat. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). Never share OTP or password. Within 24 hours of fraud discovery, call bank to block card, freeze UPI ID, and file a cybercrime FIR before the money disappears offshore. The 1930 helpline runs 24×7 and the first few hours decide whether the receiving account can still be frozen.

ICD-11 diagnostic criteria (WHO; ICD-11 came into effect on 1 January 2022):

• Impaired control: inability to limit duration, frequency, intensity.
• Increasing priority: gaming dominates daily schedule, displacing sleep, meals, hygiene, school, work.
• Continuation despite harm: persists despite job loss, failed exams, relationship breakdown.
• Duration ≥12 months (shorter where all criteria are met and symptoms are severe).

Behavioural red flags:

• Playing 6+ hours on weekdays, 10+ hours weekends.
• Aggression, irritability when asked to stop.
• Lying about time spent, hiding devices.
• Skipping school or college classes; a marked and sustained fall in grades.
• Social withdrawal, losing interest in offline hobbies.
• Sleep reversal: awake 2 AM–6 AM, asleep during day.

Financial markers:

• Spending ₹10,000+ monthly on in-game purchases, battle passes, loot boxes (children using parents' cards without consent).
• Selling personal belongings, borrowing from multiple lenders to fund gaming.
• Defaulting on EMIs, rent, school fees.

Physical symptoms:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome, “gamer's thumb,” chronic back pain.
• Vision problems from prolonged screen time.
• Weight gain/loss, neglected hygiene.

Medical intervention: Consult a psychiatrist trained in de-addiction — the NIMHANS SHUT clinic in Bengaluru is a dedicated technology de-addiction service, and tertiary government mental-health institutes such as IHBAS Delhi and LGBRIMH Tezpur also treat gaming disorder. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), family therapy, sometimes SSRIs if co-morbid depression/anxiety.

Citizen tip — Do not assume private treatment is your only option, and do not assume your policy covers it either. Behavioural-addiction cover varies between insurers, so read your own policy wording and check the current PMJAY (Ayushman Bharat) package list before committing to private fees rather than relying on a budget figure quoted in an article. Free or subsidised care runs through the District Mental Health Programme under the National Mental Health Programme — ask for the District Mental Health Officer at the district collectorate. The national mental health helpline Tele-MANAS is 14416 (also 1800-891-4416), toll-free and 24×7.

Step 1: Visit https://cybercrime.gov.in (National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, Ministry of Home Affairs). Click “Report Other Cyber Crime” → “Online Financial Fraud” or “Online Gambling/Betting Fraud.”

Step 2: Fill details: victim name, address, mobile, email, fraud date/time, platform name, amount lost, transaction ID, accused's bank/UPI details (if known). Upload screenshots, bank statements, emails.

Step 3: Portal generates acknowledgement number. Police (Cyber Cell or local station) must register FIR under BNSS 2023 Section 173 (duty to register FIR for cognizable offence; BNS 318(4) and 319(2) are cognizable under the First Schedule — plain cheating under 318(2) is not). If refused, file a Zero FIR at any station: BNSS Section 173(1) permits information to be lodged irrespective of the area where the offence was committed, and the case then goes to the jurisdictional station.

Step 4: Obtain the FIR copy. BNSS Section 173(2) requires that a copy of the information recorded be given forthwith and free of cost to the informant or the victim. There is no two-hour rule — but equally, you should not be asked to pay for it or told to come back later. Insist that the FIR names BNS sections 318 and 319, and IT Act sections 66C and 66D.

Step 5: Police investigate. BNSS Section 106 is the power of a police officer to seize property suspected of being stolen or found in circumstances suggesting an offence — an investigative holding power, not a final attachment. Recovery for victims runs through BNSS Section 107: with the approval of the Superintendent or Commissioner of Police, the police apply to the court; the court issues a 14-day show-cause notice; and if satisfied the property is proceeds of crime, it directs the District Magistrate to rateably distribute those proceeds to the persons affected by the crime, within 60 days. Police may also send letters rogatory for offshore platforms and seek platform data under the IT Act.

Step 6: Track the case on the CCTNS portal using the FIR number. Default bail is governed by BNSS Section 187(3), and it is not a flat 90-day rule: an accused becomes entitled to bail if the investigation is not completed within 90 days where the offence is punishable with death, imprisonment for life or imprisonment of ten years or more, and within 60 days for every other offence. BNS 318 and 319 both fall in the 60-day bracket, so an unfinished investigation lets the accused out after two months. Press in writing for the chargesheet, and engage a lawyer to move for an expedited investigation.

Sample FIR text:

To,
The Station House Officer,
Cyber Crime Police Station,
[City, District]

Subject: FIR under BNS 2023 Sections 318, 319 and IT Act 2000 Section 66D

Sir/Madam,

I, [Your Full Name], S/o or D/o [Parent Name], aged [Age], residing at [Full Address], Aadhaar [Number], Mobile [Number], hereby lodge the following complaint:

1. On [Date], I registered on [Platform Name] (website/app URL: [URL]) and deposited ₹[Amount] via UPI Transaction ID [ID] to play [Game Name].

2. The platform promised fair play and withdrawals within 24 hours. After winning ₹[Amount], I initiated withdrawal on [Date]. The platform demanded ₹[Processing Fee] upfront, contradicting their ToS.

3. On [Date], the platform suspended my account, deleted my balance, and ceased responding to emails/chats. I suspect fraudulent manipulation of game outcomes and identity theft under IT Act Section 66C.

4. Total loss: ₹[Amount]. Evidence: [List screenshots, bank statements, email printouts].

5. Accused details (if known): Platform registered address [Address], Customer care [Phone/Email], Bank account [Number/IFSC].

I request registration of FIR under BNS 2023 Sections 318 (Cheating), 319 (Cheating by personation), IT Act 2000 Section 66D (Cheating by personation using computer resource), and immediate action to freeze accused accounts and recover my money.

Date: [Date]
Place: [City]

[Your Signature]
[Your Name]

Trust signal — Supreme Court in Lalita Kumari v. Govt. of Uttar Pradesh (2014) 2 SCC 1 mandated mandatory FIR registration for cognizable offences. If SHO refuses, note name/badge number, file written complaint to Superintendent of Police + send email to DGP, Chief Secretary with subject “Violation of Lalita Kumari judgment—FIR refusal.” Courts impose penalties on erring officers.

Jurisdiction: District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (value <₹50 lakh), State Commission (₹50 lakh–₹2 crore), National Commission (>₹2 crore)—Consumer Protection Act 2019 Section 34, 47, 58.

Grounds:

• Deficiency in service (Section 2(11)): Platform failed to honour withdrawal, disabled account arbitrarily, inadequate customer support.
• Unfair trade practice (Section 2(47)): Misleading ads (“100% Fair RNG Certified” when not audited), hidden fees, fake testimonials.
• Restrictive trade practice (Section 2(41)): Forcing arbitration in Singapore or Malta, blocking Indian legal recourse. (Section 2(38) is a different definition — “product service provider”.)

Procedure: 1. Draft the complaint in the prescribed form. If you file online, the e-Jagriti portal generates the form and walks you through the fields. 2. List respondents: Platform company (Indian registered entity or foreign company doing business in India), Payment Gateway, Directors. 3. Attach: Transaction proof, ToS printout, screenshots, email correspondence, legal notice and reply (if sent). 4. Pay the filing fee prescribed by Rule 7 of the Consumer Protection (Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions) Rules 2020. Before the District Commission the fee is nil where the value of the goods or services is up to ₹5 lakh; ₹200 above ₹5 lakh and up to ₹10 lakh; ₹400 above ₹10 lakh and up to ₹20 lakh; and ₹1,000 above ₹20 lakh and up to ₹50 lakh. Most gaming disputes therefore cost nothing to file. The e-Jagriti portal shows the exact fee payable at the point of filing, so do not let a “court fee” you read somewhere put you off a small claim. 5. File online via the e-Jagriti portal (https://e-jagriti.gov.in), the successor to e-Daakhil, or physically at the District Commission. 6. Know the real timelines. Under the second proviso to Section 36(2), admissibility of the complaint is ordinarily to be decided within 21 days of filing, and Section 36(3) deems the complaint admitted if admissibility is not decided in that period — that is an admissibility deadline, not a first-hearing date. Section 38(7) then sets a target of three months from the date the opposite party receives notice, or five months where analysis or testing is required. Many commissions take longer; the Act requires them to record their reasons in writing when they do.

Reliefs to claim:

• Refund of deposits + winnings (if legitimately won).
• Compensation for mental agony and harassment. There is no statutory scale — the amount is at the Commission's discretion on the facts, so plead and prove the actual harm rather than quoting a range you found online.
• Litigation costs, as the Commission thinks fit.
• Punitive damages if platform acted maliciously.

On precedent: District Commission orders are not systematically reported, so be sceptical of any “leading case” quoted at you in a gaming refund dispute — including by the platform's lawyer. Build the case on documents: proof of deposit, the winning record, the withdrawal request, the suspension message, and the exact ToS clause the platform actually invoked. If you want genuine comparators, orders of the National and State Commissions are searchable free of charge on the NCDRC and e-Jagriti websites.

Most citizens miss this — You may not have to travel. Under Section 38(6) every complaint is heard on affidavit and documentary evidence, and the proviso to that sub-section lets a party apply for a hearing or examination of the parties in person or through video conferencing. The Commission may allow it “on sufficient cause being shown”, after recording its reasons in writing — so it is a discretionary facility you must apply for and justify, not an automatic entitlement, and the Act does not promise it free of charge. File the application early and set out clearly why travel is impractical. (Section 84 is unrelated: it deals with the liability of a product manufacturer.)

Before filing consumer complaint or civil suit, send legal notice (not mandatory but strengthens case, shows bona fide attempt at settlement). Send via registered post AD + email to registered office and grievance officer (IT Rules 2021 mandate grievance officer details on platform).

LEGAL NOTICE UNDER CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT 2019

To,
[Platform Name Pvt Ltd / Inc]
Registered Office: [Address]
Grievance Officer: [Name, Email]

Through Registered Post AD + Email

Date: [Date]

Ref: Gaming Fraud / Wrongful Account Suspension / Withdrawal Refusal

Dear Sir/Madam,

My client, Shri/Smt [Name], residing at [Address], served me instructions to address the following:

1. My client registered on your platform on [Date], deposited ₹[Amount] via [Payment Method], Transaction ID [ID].

2. My client played [Game], won ₹[Amount], initiated withdrawal on [Date].

3. Your platform (a) delayed withdrawal beyond ToS stipulated 24 hours, (b) demanded illegal processing fee ₹[Amount], (c) suspended account on [Date] citing vague "violation of ToS" without specifying clause, (d) ceased all communication.

4. Your acts constitute:
   - Deficiency in service (CPA 2019 Section 2(11))
   - Unfair trade practice (CPA 2019 Section 2(47))
   - Cheating (BNS 2023 Section 318)
   - Breach of contract

5. My client demands:
   a. Immediate credit of ₹[Deposit + Winnings] to bank account [Number] within 7 days.
   b. Permanent account closure and deletion of personal data (DPDP Act 2023 Section 12).
   c. Compensation ₹[Amount] for mental agony, reputational harm, litigation costs.

6. Failing compliance within 7 days, my client will initiate:
   - FIR under BNS 2023 Sections 318, 319, IT Act 66D
   - Consumer complaint before District Forum seeking refund + ₹5 lakh compensation + litigation costs
   - Complaint to Ministry of Electronics and IT for violation of IT Rules 2021 grievance redressal timelines
   - Civil suit for damages + injunction

This notice is without prejudice to my client's rights and contentions.

Yours faithfully,

[Your Name]
[Address]
[Mobile]
[Email]

CC: Ministry of Electronics and IT, Grievance Appellate Committee

Platform must respond within 15 days (standard legal notice timeline). If no response, mention this non-compliance in consumer complaint/FIR to demonstrate platform's mala fide intent.

Do this immediately — Send the notice by India Post Registered Post with Acknowledgement Due (AD) and keep both the posting receipt and the returned AD card. Check the current tariff on indiapost.gov.in rather than relying on a figure quoted in an article. Courts routinely treat a registered-post receipt together with the AD card as evidence that the notice was served. Note that the Indian Evidence Act 1872 has been repealed and replaced by the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 with effect from 1 July 2024, so cite the new Act if a provision on presumptions is needed.

If victim is <18 years, invoke Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015:

Section 2(14) — read it before you cite it: this is the definition of a “child in need of care and protection”, and it has twelve clauses, none of which is gaming addiction or “behavioural problems”. Clause (ix), often wrongly cited for this, covers a child who is vulnerable and has been, is being, or is likely to be inducted into drug abuse or trafficking. The Committee can act where the facts fit one of the real clauses — for example a child who is mentally ill, or one whose parent or guardian the Committee finds unfit or incapacitated to protect the child's safety and well-being. Describe what actually happened in your report; do not label it with a clause number.

Procedure: 1. Approach Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in your district (constituted under JJ Act Section 27). CWC comprises Chairperson + 4 members including one woman, one expert in child psychology/psychiatry.

2. File Form 2 (Reporting to CWC) available at District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) office (inside collectorate or separate building).

3. CWC conducts inquiry (Section 36), may order:

1. Orders under Section 37(1): restoration of the child to the parents or guardian, with or without supervision; placement in a Children's Home (established under Section 50 for children in need of care and protection) or with a fit facility or fit person; foster care; or sponsorship. Note that Observation Homes under Section 47 are for children alleged to be in conflict with law during the pendency of an inquiry — a child in need of care and protection is never sent to one, so do not let anyone tell you that asking the Committee for help risks it.
2. Directions under Section 37(1)(g) to whoever is caring for the child, covering medical attention and psychiatric and psychological support.
3. Compulsory counselling for child + family.
4. Restoration to parents with supervision by probation officer.

4. The Committee's orders are binding. Section 75 is a separate offence — cruelty to a child by a person having actual charge or control of that child, punishable with imprisonment which may extend to 3 years, or a fine of ₹1 lakh, or both — and it is not a general penalty for disobeying a Committee order.

School intervention: If the child is a student, tell the principal in writing and ask for the school counsellor. Most schools have a designated counselling or child-safety point of contact and a written grievance route — ask the school what theirs is rather than assuming a particular officer exists. Persistent absence is a school and Education Department matter, and the school can escalate it to the Block or District Education Officer.

Medical line of treatment: NIMHANS Bengaluru runs the SHUT clinic (Service for Healthy Use of Technology), India's first technology de-addiction service, running since 2014 and covering compulsive gaming. A typical protocol:

1. An initial supervised abstinence phase, with devices removed or locked down.
2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy over a course of sessions, to identify triggers and build coping mechanisms.
3. Family therapy: Address parental neglect, over-control.
4. Relapse prevention: Graduated device reintroduction with time limits, parental monitoring apps.

Outcomes vary a great deal with the child's age, co-morbid depression or anxiety, and how far the family engages with treatment. Ask the treating clinician what their own follow-up shows rather than relying on a headline success rate.

Warning — Gaming platforms' age-gating (ToS clause “18+ only”) is ineffective; minors use parents' IDs or fake birthdates. The strongest legal argument for a refund is that an agreement with a minor is void under Section 11 of the Indian Contract Act 1872. Platforms resist it by alleging parental negligence and by pointing to the ToS breach in the minor's registration. Keep device passwords private and enable parental controls — partly to prevent it, and partly so that allegation cannot be made against you.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)

1. URL: https://www.meity.gov.in
2. Regulates intermediaries under the IT Rules 2021. A gaming platform that hosts or transmits user content is an “intermediary” as defined in the IT Act 2000, and must appoint a Grievance Officer under Rule 3(2), acknowledge a complaint within 24 hours and dispose of it within 15 days.
3. Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC): Hears appeals where an intermediary's own grievance officer has failed you. File online at gac.gov.in; the portal states the appeal window and the form to use.

Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (Ministry of Home Affairs)

1. URL: https://cybercrime.gov.in
2. 24×7 helpline: 1930 (toll-free).
3. Handles online financial fraud, hacking, identity theft.

National Consumer Helpline (Department of Consumer Affairs)

1. Helpline: 1915, 8 AM to 8 PM. WhatsApp: +91 88000 01915. (The older 14404 number is superseded — consumerhelpline.gov.in now lists only 1915.)
2. URL: https://consumerhelpline.gov.in
3. Pre-litigation counselling and mediation with the company. It has no power to order a refund — for a binding order you need the District Commission.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Ombudsman

1. Raise the chargeback with the bank or card issuer that debited your account — that is the entity obliged to act on an unauthorised or disputed transaction, and it is squarely within the Ombudsman's scope. If the bank fails to deal with it, escalate free of charge at cms.rbi.org.in. Payment aggregators are not necessarily covered by the Ombudsman scheme in their own right, so do not let a bank redirect you to the gateway and stop there.
2. Ombudsman can award compensation up to ₹30 lakh for deficiency by banks/payment system operators.

Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI) — the regulator that now exists

1. OGAI is constituted under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules 2026 (notified 22 April 2026), both in force from 1 May 2026. It is an attached office of MeitY, chaired by an Additional Secretary in MeitY.
2. Its job is to classify an online game as a money game, a social game or an e-sport, to register the permitted categories, to handle grievances, and to enforce the nationwide prohibition on online money games. Offering an online money game, and advertising one, are offences.
3. If a platform is still taking real-money stakes from Indian users, OGAI is the body to report it to, alongside MeitY and the cybercrime portal. You are reporting an illegal service, not asking a trade body to mediate.

About the industry bodies: the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) and the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) ran voluntary industry codes and grievance desks before the 2025 Act. They are trade associations. Their certifications were never legally binding, and no self-regulatory body was ever notified under the 2023 amendment to the IT Rules that had envisaged one — so a platform advertising itself as “SRB approved” is claiming a status that does not exist. Treat these bodies as history, not as a licence.

State gaming laws: several states, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka among them, banned online money games under their own Acts before the central law arrived, and the Supreme Court upheld those bans on 27 May 2026 in State of Tamil Nadu v. Junglee Games India Pvt. Ltd., 2026 INSC 594. State law still governs conduct before 1 May 2026, so check your state's gazette for the period in which your loss falls.

Citizen tip — MeitY's Grievance Appellate Committee is free to use and most people have never heard of it. It only becomes available after you have taken the complaint to the platform's own grievance officer and been ignored or refused, so keep that correspondence. An intermediary that ignores the framework risks its safe harbour under Section 79 of the IT Act, which is what gives the process its bite. Using the GAC does not stop you from also filing a consumer complaint — do both.

(FIR sample provided earlier; see Section 5.)

Sample consumer complaint (excerpts):

BEFORE THE DISTRICT CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION
[District Name]

Complaint No. ______/2026

In the matter of:

[Your Name], S/o [Parent], aged [Age], residing at [Address]
                                                              ...Complainant

                            Versus

1. [Platform Name Pvt Ltd], registered office [Address], through Director
2. [Payment Gateway Ltd], registered office [Address], through Director
                                                              ...Opposite Parties

COMPLAINT UNDER CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT 2019

Facts in brief:
1. Complainant is consumer, engaged Opposite Party No. 1 (OP-1) for online rummy services, deposited ₹75,000 on [Date] via OP-2 payment gateway.

2. OP-1 advertised "RNG Certified Fair Play, Instant Withdrawals." Complainant won ₹1,22,000 on [Date].

3. Withdrawal request on [Date] denied, account suspended citing "suspicious activity" without evidence—this is deficiency in service (Section 2(11)), unfair trade practice (Section 2(47)).

4. Complainant sent legal notice on [Date]; OP-1 failed to reply—demonstrates mala fide intent.

Reliefs sought:
a. Direct OP-1 to refund ₹75,000 deposit + ₹1,22,000 winnings = ₹1,97,000 with 9% interest p.a. from [Date].
b. Compensation ₹2,00,000 for mental agony, defamation, harassment.
c. Litigation costs ₹25,000.
d. Any other relief deemed fit.

Complainant's Signature
Date: [Date]

Sample RTI Application (to MeitY or State Gaming Authority):

To,
The Public Information Officer,
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology,
Electronics Niketan, 6 CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003

Subject: RTI Application under RTI Act 2005 for information on [Platform Name]

Sir/Madam,

Under RTI Act 2005 Section 6(1), I request the following information:

1. Has [Platform Name] (CIN/Foreign Registration No. [Number]) appointed a Grievance Officer under IT Rules 2021 Rule 3(2)? Provide name, email, appointment date.

2. How many complaints against [Platform Name] received by MeitY/GAC between Jan 2024–Dec 2025? Provide month-wise count, nature, disposal status.

3. Has MeitY issued any notice/order to [Platform Name] for violation of IT Rules 2021? Provide copies of notices, show-cause letters, compliance reports.

4. Is [Platform Name] listed under MeitY's banned/blacklisted intermediaries? If yes, provide order copy.

5. What is procedure to file complaint against gaming platforms refusing withdrawals? Provide guidelines, forms, timelines.

I am willing to pay fee as per RTI Act. Kindly provide info within 30 days.

[Your Name]
[Address]
[Mobile]
[Email]
Date: [Date]

You can file an RTI online via rtionline.gov.in for Central departments, or through your state RTI portal. The application fee is ₹10. Section 7(1) of the RTI Act gives the PIO 30 days to reply. See our complete guide to the RTI Act 2005 for the filing procedure and what to do if the PIO refuses information.

Our RTI assistant helps you draft the application, and the PIO reply checker helps you judge whether a reply you have received is complete or evasive.

Trust signal — RTI Act 2005 Section 4(1)(b) mandates every public authority publish information proactively. MeitY's annual report (https://www.meity.gov.in/annual-reports) lists intermediary compliance data. Cross-check before filing RTI to save time; file RTI only for granular, unpublished data.

Most citizens miss this — Myth-busting is legal armour, but do not try to out-cite a platform's lawyer. When they say “we are a foreign entity, the Consumer Protection Act does not apply,” put facts on the record instead: the Indian advertising you saw, the Indian payment gateway that took your money, the Indian address or phone number on the app listing, and the rupee amounts and dates. Name the payment gateway as a separate opposite party. Jurisdiction over an online seller is decided on that kind of evidence, not on a citation found on the internet.

No. Since 1 May 2026 the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025, together with the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules 2026, prohibits online money games — any online game where you stake money or other value on an outcome — across the whole country. Offering such a game, and advertising it, are offences. Free-to-play games and registered e-sports remain legal. Separately, the Supreme Court held on 27 May 2026 in State of Tamil Nadu v. Junglee Games India Pvt. Ltd., 2026 INSC 594, that staking money on a game of skill is still betting, and upheld the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka bans.

Yes. The ban changes what is lawful going forward; it does not extinguish a claim you already have. A criminal complaint for cheating under BNS sections 318 and 319 and IT Act section 66D, and a consumer complaint for deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, are both still open to you. File both on the same facts — they run in parallel and neither blocks the other.

For most gaming disputes, nothing at all. Under Rule 7 of the Consumer Protection (Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions) Rules 2020, the fee before the District Commission is nil where the value of the goods or services is up to ₹5 lakh. Above that it is ₹200 up to ₹10 lakh, ₹400 up to ₹20 lakh, and ₹1,000 up to ₹50 lakh. The e-Jagriti portal shows the exact fee when you file.

Cheating and cheating by personation are cognizable offences, and Lalita Kumari v. Government of Uttar Pradesh (2014) 2 SCC 1 requires an FIR to be registered when the information discloses a cognizable offence. Note the officer's name, put your complaint in writing, and send it to the Superintendent of Police. You can also insist on a Zero FIR at any police station regardless of territorial jurisdiction. Once registered, the FIR copy must be given to you forthwith and free of cost under BNSS section 173(2).

1930, the national cybercrime financial fraud helpline, which runs 24×7 — and then your bank, immediately. The first few hours decide whether the receiving account can be frozen before the money moves on. Register the complaint on cybercrime.gov.in as well and keep the acknowledgement number. For consumer grievances that are not fraud, the National Consumer Helpline is 1915, 8 AM to 8 PM.

You have a real argument: an agreement with a minor is void under section 11 of the Indian Contract Act 1872. Platforms resist by alleging parental negligence and pointing to their 18+ terms. Move quickly, keep every transaction record, write to the platform's grievance officer first, then escalate to the Grievance Appellate Committee and, if needed, the District Commission. Enabling parental controls and keeping payment credentials away from the child also removes the platform's best defence.

The regulator is the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI), an attached office of MeitY constituted under the 2025 Act and the 2026 Rules. No self-regulatory body was ever notified under the earlier 2023 amendment to the IT Rules, so a platform claiming to be “SRB approved” is claiming a status that does not exist. Industry bodies such as FIFS and AIGF are trade associations, not regulators.

Yes. Gaming disorder is classified in the WHO's ICD-11 (code 6C51), which came into effect on 1 January 2022. Subsidised care is available through the District Mental Health Programme — ask for the District Mental Health Officer at the collectorate — and at tertiary centres such as the NIMHANS SHUT clinic in Bengaluru. The national mental health helpline Tele-MANAS is 14416 (also 1800-891-4416), toll-free and round the clock.

• Illegal casino app guide — spot, report, recover
• 1930 helpline — what to say when you call
• Complete guide to the RTI Act 2005
• The RTI Playbook