# Supreme Court on Online Gaming: Case Tracker for 2026 Source: https://cricketin.org/legal/supreme-court-online-gaming-cases [By Ananya Rathi](/authors/legal-writer), Legal and Compliance Writer. [Reviewed by Rajeev Sathe](/authors/editor-in-chief), Editor-in-Chief. Updated 30 Aug 2026. Editorial policy: https://cricketin.org/editorial-policy 18+ Betting money on cricket carries a direct risk of financial loss, and it can become an addiction. Real-money online gaming is banned across India under the PROG Act 2025, which came into force on 1 May 2026. If betting is already costing you money you need, or sleep, or people close to you, the free Tele-MANAS helpline is **14416**, and it runs in 20 languages. Our [page on help for gambling harm](/guides/help-for-gambling-harm-india) lists what else exists. --- A dated tracker of India's online gaming cases: the three judgments of 27 May 2026, the GST ruling and the pending challenge to the PROG Act 2025. On 27 May 2026 the Supreme Court gave three rulings on state gaming laws. It upheld those laws. It held that a bet on a game of skill is not protected trade under Article 19(1)(g). A fourth ruling that day upheld GST on gaming stakes. The challenge to the central PROG Act 2025 is still open. This page tracks each case, with its date and its status. It marks what the Court left open. It also shows why an open case does not make play lawful. ## The tracker at a glance Four matters carry the whole story. Three were decided on one day. One is still running. **Table 1. Online gaming cases in the Supreme Court, with status** | Case | What it is about | Status | Date | |---|---|---|---| | State of Tamil Nadu v. Junglee Games India | Whether Tamil Nadu could regulate stake-based online play | Decided; appeals allowed; state law held valid | 27 May 2026 | | State of Tamil Nadu v. All India Gaming Federation | The 2022 Tamil Nadu online gaming Act, including rummy and poker | Decided; challenged provisions held valid | 27 May 2026 | | State of Karnataka v. All India Gaming Federation | The 2021 amendment to the Karnataka Police Act | Decided; five sections held valid | 27 May 2026 | | DGGI v. Gameskraft Technologies | GST on online gaming stakes, and whether the 2023 changes were retrospective | Decided in favour of the tax authorities | 27 May 2026 | | Head Digital Works v Union of India, T.C.(C) No. 133/2025 | Constitutional challenge to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 | Pending; listed for final hearing | Filed 2025; hearing steps in 2026 | Rows one to three come from the [Supreme Court Observer Law Reports](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/), and we call that source SCOLR below. The GST row is reported by [Legal Republic](https://www.legalrepublic.in/supreme-court/gameskraft-gst-online-gaming-betting-gambling-supreme-court-2026/) and by [The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/supreme-court-online-gaming-gst-verdict-retrospective-tax-demand-10711935/). The open case is tracked by [Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/). ## How these cases reached one courtroom The fight did not start in the Supreme Court. Writ cases against the central Act were filed in three High Courts. They were Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka ([Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/)). Then came 8 September 2025. A bench of Justice J. B. Pardiwala and Justice K. V. Viswanathan allowed transfer pleas filed by the Union. The route was Article 139A of the Constitution. Every open High Court case moved to the Supreme Court ([Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/)). [Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586) logs the same step. One more case is worth a name. It shows how long this argument has run. Nishith Desai cites *Play Games 24x7 Private Limited v. State of Tamil Nadu*, W.P. No. 6784 of 2025, when it sets out the skill and gambling debate ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)). The lawyers tell you the size of the fight. On the industry side sit senior counsel C. A. Sundaram and Arvind Datar. For the Union, Additional Solicitor General N. Venkataraman also appears ([Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/)). This is a heavyweight matter, not a routine writ. That is why one bench now settles a question that used to be argued state by state. Our [state law table](/legal/state-by-state) shows how scattered the old picture was. ## The three judgments of 27 May 2026 Take them one at a time. The wording differs. So does what each one settles. **Table 2. Bench, statute and citation in each 27 May 2026 judgment** | Case | Bench | Law held valid | Citation | |---|---|---|---| | State of Tamil Nadu v. Junglee Games India | Justice J. B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan | Part II, Tamil Nadu Gaming and Police Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, declared intra vires | 2026 INSC 594 ([SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/)) | | State of Tamil Nadu v. All India Gaming Federation | Justice J. B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan | Sections 2(i) and 2(l)(iv) and the Schedule, Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act | [SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/) | | State of Karnataka v. All India Gaming Federation | Justice J. B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan | Sections 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9, Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021 (Karnataka Act No. 28 of 2021) | [SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/) | | DGGI v. Gameskraft Technologies | Justice R. Mahadevan, who wrote it, and Justice J. B. Pardiwala | GST on actionable claims from online gaming; the 2023 changes read as clarifying, so they apply back in time | [Legal Republic](https://www.legalrepublic.in/supreme-court/gameskraft-gst-online-gaming-betting-gambling-supreme-court-2026/) | ### State of Tamil Nadu v. Junglee Games India The appeals were allowed. The Madras High Court ruling was set aside. The state law was held to be within the Constitution. Table 2 has the bench and the citation ([SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/)). The core holding is one sentence, and it is worth reading twice. A game of skill is protected under Article 19. A bet or wager on any game is not, even a game of skill. Only the legislature can carve out an exception ([SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/)). The Court also closed a word game. You cannot split "betting and gambling" so that a stake alone is betting and chance alone is gambling ([SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/)). ### State of Tamil Nadu v. All India Gaming Federation Same bench, same day, a different law. The 2022 Tamil Nadu Act was held valid. That holds for the parts on rummy and poker too ([SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/)). The Court agreed that skill games and chance games are still different ideas. What it held is this. A stake on either kind sits inside state power under Entry 34 of List II ([SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/)). ### State of Karnataka v. All India Gaming Federation The Karnataka High Court ruling was set aside. Five sections of the state Act were held valid ([SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/)). The state law had widened four terms. Gaming, instruments of gaming, online gaming and common gaming house now cover online sites and digital devices ([the NLS bulletin](https://forum.nls.ac.in/may-2026-ijlt-tech-law-bulletin/)). Here the Court added a line that shuts a favourite argument. Cover for games of skill under Entry 34 is not cover for betting on games of skill ([SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/)). ## What the Court did not say Loose write-ups of these rulings are everywhere. So mark the limits. - The Court did not hold that every online game is gambling ([the NLS bulletin](https://forum.nls.ac.in/may-2026-ijlt-tech-law-bulletin/)). - It did not fold skill into chance ([the NLS bulletin](https://forum.nls.ac.in/may-2026-ijlt-tech-law-bulletin/)). - It did not overrule the old case law. It narrowed how it applies. The two Chamarbaugwala rulings, the Satyanarayana case and K. R. Lakshmanan were each read as tied to their own facts ([the NLS bulletin](https://forum.nls.ac.in/may-2026-ijlt-tech-law-bulletin/)). - It ran no proportionality test on the state laws. Betting was treated as *res extra commercium*, that is, outside lawful trade ([SCOLR](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/)). What is left is a narrower rule than the headlines suggest. It is still enough to end the skill-game defence for stake-based cricket play. We take that defence apart on [our page on legality in 2026](/legal/online-betting-law-india). ## The GST judgment on the same day The fourth matter was about tax. It was not about a right to play. The Court held that GST on actionable claims from online gaming is valid. It also held that the 2023 changes were a clarification, so they apply back in time ([Legal Republic](https://www.legalrepublic.in/supreme-court/gameskraft-gst-online-gaming-betting-gambling-supreme-court-2026/)). Table 2 names the bench. Two numbers went round the press. Notices worth over ₹21,000 crore against Gameskraft were restored ([Legal Republic](https://www.legalrepublic.in/supreme-court/gameskraft-gst-online-gaming-betting-gambling-supreme-court-2026/)). The wider revival was put near ₹2.5 lakh crore. That figure spans gaming firms, fantasy sites and casinos ([The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/supreme-court-online-gaming-gst-verdict-retrospective-tax-demand-10711935/)). The same ruling told states they may ban online money games. That holds even where skill is part of the play ([Bar and Bench](https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/supreme-court-upholds-28-gst-levy-on-online-gaming-bets-says-skill-chance-irrelevant-if-money-staked)). Rates and value rules sit on [our GST page](/legal/gst-on-online-gaming). ## What the GST ruling settled about valuation One part of that ruling reaches past tax. So it belongs in a tracker. The Court had to decide what a gaming site really sells. It held that staked online play can fall inside the betting and gambling frame for GST. The marks are pooled stakes and an uncertain result ([the NLS bulletin](https://forum.nls.ac.in/may-2026-ijlt-tech-law-bulletin/)). It also held that these firms are not mere go-betweens. Each one sells an actionable claim, which is a legal right to a payout ([Legal Republic](https://www.legalrepublic.in/supreme-court/gameskraft-gst-online-gaming-betting-gambling-supreme-court-2026/)). On value the Court upheld the full stake. It rejected the plea that only the site's cut should be taxed ([the NLS bulletin](https://forum.nls.ac.in/may-2026-ijlt-tech-law-bulletin/)). The notices of 23 September 2022 were restored. They were issued under Section 74(1) of the CGST Act ([Legal Republic](https://www.legalrepublic.in/supreme-court/gameskraft-gst-online-gaming-betting-gambling-supreme-court-2026/)). Read that with the state cases and a pattern shows. Money staked on an uncertain result is what the law now grips. That holds in tax and in gambling rules alike ([the NLS bulletin](https://forum.nls.ac.in/may-2026-ijlt-tech-law-bulletin/)). ## What to watch next, and how to check it yourself You do not need a law degree to follow this case. You need three habits. - **Watch for a stay, not for views.** Only one step would change things for a player. That step is an order that puts the Act on hold. Nothing we have read reports one ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)). - **Watch the pleadings step.** Arguments start only once all parties finish their pleadings. The date follows that ([theIGaming](https://theigaming.eu/2026/08/07/india-supreme-court-final-hearing-online-gaming-act-2025/)). - **Watch who got notice.** Reports name the Union government, Google India, Apple India and the telecom watchdog among those served ([theIGaming](https://theigaming.eu/2026/08/07/india-supreme-court-final-hearing-online-gaming-act-2025/)). So the case reaches app stores and networks, not just operators. A separate bench led by Justice J. B. Pardiwala has handled part of this cluster ([theIGaming](https://theigaming.eu/2026/08/07/india-supreme-court-final-hearing-online-gaming-act-2025/)). That is one reason outlets name different benches on different days. When two reports clash, we tag the point. We do not pick a winner. ## The pending challenge to the PROG Act Now the live matter. The transfer case numbered T.C.(C) No. 133/2025 is listed as pending. The bench is CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and a third judge ([Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/)). Nishith Desai also describes the challenge as still waiting for a ruling ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)). The petitioners are a mixed group. They include Head Digital Works and Dr K. A. Paul. The Union of India is the respondent, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appears for it ([Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/)). A public interest plea by the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change is in the mix as well. It asks for orders against sites that present themselves as social gaming or e-sports ([CDC Gaming](https://cdcgaming.com/brief/supreme-court-of-india-to-hear-challenges-against-igaming-laws/)). The issues are constitutional. Our source lists five of them. - Does the Act survive Article 19(1)(g)? - Is it arbitrary under Article 14 to drop the line between skill and chance? - Does the Act step on state power under Entry 34 of the State List? - Is the flat ban in Section 5 an unfair curb under Article 21? - Do Sections 3, 4 and 5 hand the Union too much power, that is, excessive delegation? All five issues are listed by [Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/). ## Where things stood in August 2026 In early August 2026 reports said the Court had agreed to start the final hearing ([CDC Gaming](https://cdcgaming.com/brief/supreme-court-of-india-to-hear-challenges-against-igaming-laws/)). The bench told all parties to finish their pleadings first. A date for arguments would follow ([theIGaming](https://theigaming.eu/2026/08/07/india-supreme-court-final-hearing-online-gaming-act-2025/)). Two things are missing from those reports. We will not fill them in. Neither outlet gives the exact date of the August 2026 order. Both say only that it fell on a Wednesday. The Supreme Court Observer page lists a next hearing of 5 August 2026, and it was last updated on 2 July 2026 ([Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/)). So the record of that day needs a check against the court's own order. The third judge's name differs between sources. Supreme Court Observer lists V. M. Pancholi ([Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/)). The iGaming Europe writes V. Mohana ([theIGaming](https://theigaming.eu/2026/08/07/india-supreme-court-final-hearing-online-gaming-act-2025/)). The cause list settles it, and we have not read it. ## A pending case changes nothing for you today Here is the point to take away. Not one source we have read reports a stay of this Act. The Act and its Rules came into force on 1 May 2026, and they still apply ([Nishith Desai](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)). The bans in Sections 5, 6 and 7 are live law. Section 9 carries the penalties ([India Code](https://upload.indiacode.nic.in/view-casepdf?type=act&id=AC_CEN_45_0_00004_2025-32_1778133559220)). So "the matter is before the Supreme Court" is not permission. It describes a fight between an industry and the Union. The judgment may change the position later. That will be a new fact with a new date. We will then update [the page on the Act](/legal/prog-act-2025-explained) and this tracker. Two habits help while you wait. Check the date on any article that tells you betting is allowed. And treat an app's legal claim as marketing until a court paper backs it. Our [offshore apps page](/legal/offshore-betting-apps-india) shows how those claims are built. The wider map sits on [the legal hub](/legal). [Our verification process](/how-we-test) explains how we check a court fact before we publish it. ## Questions people ask ### Has the Supreme Court struck down the online gaming ban? No. The challenge is open and listed for a final hearing ([Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/)). No source we have read reports an order putting the Act on hold. ### What was decided on 27 May 2026? The Court allowed the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka appeals. It upheld their laws. It held that a bet on a game of skill is not protected trade ([Supreme Court Observer Law Reports](https://www.scobserver.in/supreme-court-observer-law-reports-scolr/betting-and-gambling-in-games-of-skill-state-of-tamil-nadu-v-junglee-games-india/)). ### Who is on the bench in the PROG Act case? CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, plus a third judge. Outlets report that third name in two different ways ([Supreme Court Observer](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/), [The iGaming Europe](https://theigaming.eu/2026/08/07/india-supreme-court-final-hearing-online-gaming-act-2025/)). ### Did the Court say skill games are gambling? No. It did not hold that all online games are gambling. It did not merge skill into chance ([NLS IJLT Tech-Law Bulletin](https://forum.nls.ac.in/may-2026-ijlt-tech-law-bulletin/)). ### How large were the revived GST demands? Notices of over ₹21,000 crore against one firm were restored ([Legal Republic](https://www.legalrepublic.in/supreme-court/gameskraft-gst-online-gaming-betting-gambling-supreme-court-2026/)). The wider figure was reported near ₹2.5 lakh crore ([The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/supreme-court-online-gaming-gst-verdict-retrospective-tax-demand-10711935/)). ## More from the legal hub - [TDS on Online Gaming Winnings](/legal/tds-on-winnings-india) - [Online Gaming Ad Rules in India](/legal/advertising-rules-online-gaming) - [GST on Online Gaming in India](/legal/gst-on-online-gaming) - [Offshore Betting Apps in India](/legal/offshore-betting-apps-india) - [Is Online Cricket Betting Legal in India](/legal/online-betting-law-india) - [PROG Act 2025 Explained](/legal/prog-act-2025-explained) - [State Gambling Laws in India](/legal/state-by-state) - [How DRS Works in Cricket](/guides/how-drs-works) - [How Net Run Rate Works](/guides/how-net-run-rate-works) - [Caribbean Premier League 2026 — live schedule and table](/leagues/cpl)