New Delhi: A Bill to ban the operation, facilitation and advertising of online games played with money was cleared by Parliament on Thursday, amid intense protests by the Opposition who alleged the legislation was passed without a discussion.

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill was passed after voice vote in the Rajya Sabha, a day after it was cleared in the Lok Sabha. The legislation seeks to make online money gaming punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years and/or a fine of up to Rs 1 crore.

Tabling the Bill in the Upper House, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said: " The money-gaming addiction is like drug addiction. The powerful people behind online money games will challenge the decision in courts. They will run social media campaigns against this ban. We have seen the impact of games and how the money is used to support terror."