Gaming and Sports
The regulatory position applicable to online gaming in India changed materially in 2025, and the consequences for business models, platform structuring, and the treatment of stakes and winnings continue to develop. We advise operators, platforms, publishers, and investors on the characterisation of a proposed format and the operational consequences that follow from it — which activities may lawfully be offered, on what terms, and with what disclosures — and on restructuring where a model is no longer viable in its existing form.
Our work draws on our Regulatory & Compliance, Product Advisory, Intellectual Property Lifecycle Management, and Global Market Entry practices. It covers game classification and format assessment, publishing and distribution agreements, engine and middleware licensing, user-facing terms and in-game economies, virtual items, monetisation structures, content classification, age assurance and child-safety requirements, advertising, sponsorship, and creator arrangements, and esports league and player contracting. Where a platform handles money we advise alongside our fintech practice on payments, wallet structuring, settlement, and exchange control.
Gaming businesses expand early and across jurisdictions, so much of our work is cross-border: entity structuring for overseas operations, licensing and regulatory clearance in the target market, privacy compliance across regimes, trade mark portfolios and enforcement, and the employment and incentive arrangements that follow a distributed team.
In addition to this, the firm has extensive experience engaging with sports federations and commercial rights holders throughout the entire lifecycle of a professional league. This includes conceptualization, league structuring, documentation for leagues, teams, and players, sale of commercial rights, due diligence, establishment and administration of Governing Councils, player auctions, league operationalization, and dispute resolution. Our work spans multiple sports, including Kabaddi, Badminton, Polo, Snooker, and Table Tennis. In addition, we have represented prominent athletes, including securing positions in the Indian Olympic squad, and have been actively involved in the implementation of the Sports Code.