For an industry that is growing at a break-neck pace but could pose a public risk, the draft proposal brought out by India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to regulate online gaming under IT rules is largely welcome. is capable. Our overarching objective should be to ensure that this vast industry flourishes within a well-defined framework of regulations, with only minimal harm to online gamers. Gaming can be an addiction, like gambling, or perhaps even alcoholism, given the brain buzz created by the wave patterns of stimulation and reward. The draft defines an online game as a game that “is offered on the Internet and can be accessed by a user through a computer resource if he makes a deposit with the expectation of winning”. Its insistence on Know Your Customer records is very stringent. , as games are not the same as banks in their ID-proof requirements, but its demand for setting up a self-regulatory organization should be met without delay. As proposed, its board should include members from diverse fields such as public policy, infotech. , medicine and psychology, apart from online gaming, and should screen games for anything that compromises India’s internal security or external relations, or may lead to crime and disturbance, among other concerns.
After setting a fast pace of growth in the last half a decade, India’s gaming industry is now eyeing a pie of $8.6 billion by 2026-27. With new rules being laid out, it would do well to not only adhere to the complaint and compliance norms, but also watch itself so that it does not stray into areas that raise fundamental questions of legality. After all, digital games can be of any kind. “The rules are very simple, online gaming betting and advertisements for gaming betting have been brought under prohibition,” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology. area.” While this may seem obvious enough, there exists a large gray area as to what constitutes a game of skill, as opposed to a chance that can determine whether it is legal. Completely random. Betting money on the outcome is pure gambling, it attracts laws that differ from state to state. Furthermore, since the division of the roles played by skill and luck in the game can be blurred, So they are difficult to slot. In the digital realm, it can be even more difficult to distinguish without looking at the math formulas behind the façade. An online platform offering winnings may turn out to be a simple jackpot spinner in the guise of a skill reward. .
For an Internet gaming company, India’s state-level regulations on gambling can be frustrating. Gaming lobbies had hoped for single-market regulation under an all-India legal code. There is no doubt that this will lead to ease of doing business, but it is impractical in a federal structure like ours. At this point in the development of this market, it may not even be a good idea. Not only can gambling be addictive in some cases, its age-gating protocols are relevant, given its appeal among youth. There is a need to study its social impact and efficacy of regulations. With a big betting puzzle that technology has made difficult to solve, it makes a case for policy trials before we can decide what works. States can draw comparative lessons on how to foster the success of this industry within public safety bounds in their different ways. While light-touch regulation is usually all that is needed, a strange mix of vulnerabilities warrants special caution in this market. No one should come to play it.
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