Bihar became the first Indian state to notify a new anti-gambling law on August 13, 2026, repealing the 159-year-old Public Gambling Act. The Bihar Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2026 bans all forms of gambling, both offline and online, without exempting games of skill. This move creates a direct overlap with the Centre’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming (PROG) Act, 2025, which claims overriding authority over online gaming regulation, according to medianama.com.
The conflict arises because the Bihar law prohibits all gambling activities outright, whereas the PROG Act regulates online gaming and allows certain exemptions. Legal experts, including technology and gaming lawyer Jay Sayta, highlight that other states like Haryana, Chhattisgarh, and Nagaland have enacted laws that carve out exemptions for games of skill or focus on licensing frameworks. Bihar’s comprehensive ban contrasts with these state laws and the central legislation, leading to jurisdictional disputes.
This legal overlap is significant as the constitutional validity of the PROG Act is currently under consideration by the Supreme Court of India. The Bihar law’s total ban on gambling, including skill-based games, challenges the Centre’s regulatory framework, which aims to promote and regulate online gaming rather than prohibit it. The differing approaches among states and the Centre could impact the online gaming industry and regulatory clarity across India.
The Bihar Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2026, notified on August 13, is the first state-level law to come into effect after the PROG Act was enacted by the Centre in 2025, setting the stage for ongoing legal and regulatory debates over gambling and online gaming governance in India.