Online Gaming in India in 2026: What the New Rules Mean for Stake

India's online gaming landscape changed significantly in 2025 and 2026. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 established a new nationwide framework, while the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 came into force on 1 May 2026. Together, they introduced new rules for online money gaming and related activities.

For international platforms such as Stake, the changes raise an important question: does being an offshore gaming platform place a service outside India's new regulatory framework? The platform is not an Indian-licensed operator, so its position needs to be considered separately from that of domestic gaming services.

India's New Approach to Online Gaming

Before the new framework, online gaming in India was governed by a combination of central and state-level rules. Much of the legal discussion focused on the distinction between games of skill and games of chance.

The new framework introduced a broader definition of an online money game. It focuses on activities involving money or another form of value where the participant expects a monetary gain, regardless of whether skill, chance or both determine the outcome.

The law does not prohibit every form of online gaming. It distinguishes online money games from categories such as e-sports and online social games.

What Does the New Law Restrict?

The framework addresses several activities connected with online money games, including:

• offering such games;
• operating or facilitating them;
• participating in them;
• facilitating related financial transactions;
• advertising and promoting them.

The important change is that the framework looks beyond the physical location of a gaming company and focuses on the activity itself.

Where Does Stake Fit In?

Stake is an international online gaming platform rather than an Indian-licensed operator. Its platform combines several products, including sportsbook, casino, live casino and poker.

This makes it a useful example when looking at how India's new framework affects offshore gaming platforms. The fact that a service is operated internationally does not automatically determine its legal position in India.

At the same time, the different products available on the platform should not simply be treated as one category. India's legislation uses specific definitions, so the nature of each activity remains relevant.

Can Indians Still Play on Stake in 2026?

This is the main question surrounding the platform after the new rules took effect.

The answer cannot simply be based on whether the website can technically be opened from India. Website accessibility and legal permission are different questions.

Stake operates internationally and is not an Indian-licensed gambling operator. Its terms also require users to comply with the laws applicable to them and prohibit access from jurisdictions where the relevant services are not permitted.

India's new framework is particularly important here because it does not create a general exception for offshore platforms. Being registered or operated outside India does not, by itself, mean that a real-money gaming service is outside the scope of Indian restrictions.

Therefore, the fact that Stake is an offshore platform should not be interpreted as confirmation that Indian users are legally permitted to use every service available on the platform.

Is Stake an Indian Operator?

No. Stake is an international gaming platform and should not be described as an Indian-licensed operator.

This distinction matters because an offshore platform and an operator established under India's domestic regulatory system are fundamentally different.

Stake's international structure also means that its licences, corporate entities and regulatory arrangements are not the same as those of an Indian gaming company.

However, the absence of an Indian operating licence does not automatically answer whether a particular activity is permitted or prohibited in India. That question depends on the applicable Indian rules.

Does the Indian Gaming Act Apply to Offshore Platforms?

The new framework is not limited to companies physically incorporated in India.

The Act establishes restrictions around online money gaming activities and related services. Its definition of an online money game is based on the characteristics of the activity rather than simply on where the operator's corporate headquarters are located.

This is important for Stake because its international status does not function as a legal workaround.

At the same time, it would be too broad to say that every service offered by every international gaming platform automatically has the same legal classification. The specific activity still needs to be considered.

For this reason, two statements are equally misleading:

“Stake is offshore, so Indian law does not apply.”

and

“Every Stake product is automatically prohibited because the platform is offshore.”

Neither statement reflects the more specific approach required by the new framework.

What Does Stake Offer?

Stake is not limited to a single type of gaming. Its platform brings several categories together under one account.

Sportsbook

The sportsbook covers betting markets across sports such as football, cricket, tennis, basketball and other competitions.

Casino

The casino section includes slots, table games and other casino titles based on different formats and game mechanics.

Live Casino

Live Casino combines online betting with streamed dealer games, including traditional table-game formats.

Poker

The poker section provides online poker games and tournaments.

Stake Originals

Stake Originals are proprietary games developed for the platform and presented separately from third-party casino titles.

These products have different mechanics and purposes, but many involve real-money participation. Their legal treatment therefore needs to be considered against the definitions established by India's current framework rather than simply by the Stake brand itself.

Why Stake's Offshore Status Matters

Stake's offshore structure is one of the main reasons its position is different from that of a domestic Indian gaming operator.

The platform operates internationally and has its own compliance system, including KYC requirements and jurisdictional restrictions. These measures determine where and under what conditions its services can be offered.

However, an international licence or offshore corporate structure should not be confused with permission under Indian law.

This distinction is particularly important in 2026. Before the new national framework, discussions about offshore gambling in India often focused on the lack of a single nationwide rule covering every form of online gaming. The introduction of the new framework changed that situation.

Why the Old “Grey Area” Explanation No Longer Works

Older articles about online gambling in India often reduced the issue to the question of whether a game was based on skill or chance.

That is no longer enough to explain the current situation.

The new framework introduced a specific concept of an online money game and established restrictions around its offering, operation, facilitation and participation.

The same applies to the argument that an offshore website automatically falls outside Indian jurisdiction.

For Stake, being based outside India remains an important fact, but it does not by itself determine whether a particular service can legally be used from India.

The regulatory question is now more specific: what is the activity, does it involve money or another form of value, does the participant expect monetary gain, and does it fall within the statutory definition?

Stake as an Example of India's New Gaming Landscape

Stake illustrates how different the online gaming discussion has become in India.

It is an international platform with multiple real-money gaming products rather than an Indian-licensed operator. At the same time, India's regulatory framework now specifically addresses online money gaming at a national level.

This means that the old assumption that an offshore platform exists in a legal vacuum is no longer sufficient.

For Stake, the most relevant factors are therefore not simply its corporate location or the fact that its website operates internationally. The analysis depends on the particular product, the way money is involved and how the service is made available to users in India.

Conclusion

India's online gaming rules changed substantially with the introduction of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 and the Rules that came into force on 1 May 2026.

Stake provides a useful case study because it is an international gaming platform rather than an Indian operator. Its offshore status distinguishes it from domestic gaming services, but it does not automatically create an exemption from Indian restrictions.

The key point for 2026 is that the legal position cannot be determined simply by asking where a gaming platform is based. The type of activity, the use of money and the expectations of monetary gain are central to understanding how the new Indian framework applies.