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Recently, there has been a lot of confusion in the gaming community after news spread that the Maharashtra government is planning to ban online gaming in the state. Many people started posting the news with images of popular games like BGMI, Free Fire Max, Valorant, and others, thinking they might get banned in the state. But the reality is different; the state government actually aims to ban the real money games, not the skill-based esports titles like BGMI, Free Fire Max, and Valorant.
Maharashtra to Ban Real Money Games, Not BGMI or Free Fire
On July 18, 2025, MLA Kailas Patil raised a concern on online gaming in the state assembly. He urged the Maharashtra government to ban online gaming, saying that many young people are getting addicted, losing money, and facing serious risks, including cases of suicide.
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, agreed with the statements of Kailas Patil and accepted that many people are getting addicted to these games, losing money, which is leading to crimes in the state.
Notably, MLA Kailas Patil and CM Devendra Fadnavis were talking about the online games that involve betting, gambling, and the risk of losing money. Examples of these real money games are games like online card games, gambling-style apps, betting platforms, and cash-based gaming apps.
Many people misunderstood the term "online gaming" and relate it to popular esports titles like BGMI, Free Fire Max, and Valorant. However, the reality is different; these games are called skill-based games, and the government was talking about the gambling games and apps that involve the risk of losing money.
Many social media pages and sites are using the pictures of the skill-based games with this news, which created panic among gamers and esports players. However, gamers don't need to worry, as skill-based games like BGMI and Free Fire Max are not under the ban radar of the government.
