The Karnataka Assembly has passed an amendment to the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, which seeks to ban online gaming and curb online gambling. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the offer was not valid for online games that strictly follow the “game of skill”.
However, The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which represents eight-core traders and 40,000 trade unions, said the bill does not differentiate between “games of skill” and “games of chance”. It said that the game of chance is pure gambling and should be banned. But the inclusion of ‘Game of Kills’ in the ambit of the bill would put the Indian gaming start-up sector, the gaming and animation industry and e-sports players at risk, the traders body said.
NS Karnataka The Police (Amendment) Bill, 2021 is also likely to have an impact on several online gaming platforms such as Mobile Premier League, Dream11, Games24x7 and many more.
In addition, CAIT said that the bill will encourage illegal offshore gambling and betting apps that operate in the gray market. It requested the Karnataka government to review the bill recommending a stable regulatory mechanism for online skill games.
The Karnataka Police (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly by the state Home Minister, Araga Gyanendra. This comes after the state government received several complaints regarding cyber fraud.
Earlier this month, the Karnataka cabinet had decided to ban online games that involve transactions with electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers.
Don’t miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint.
download
Our App Now!!
.