Industry Applauds the New Online Gaming Rules
India’s online gaming sector has witnessed unprecedented growth, and the recent amendments to the online gaming rules by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) are a welcome move. These regulations will provide a clear framework for online gaming companies to operate in a responsible and transparent manner, ensuring the safety and security of players.
Below are Some Quotes from Prominent Industry Leaders on New Online Gaming Rules
1. Bobby Garg, Co-Founder & CEO, Passion Gaming
“We welcome the new rules set forth by MEITY, which provide a comprehensive framework for self-regulation in the online gaming industry. We are committed to adhering to these rules to ensure player protection, game fairness, and game permissibility in all our offerings.
While we await further details on the requirements and functioning of the Self-Regulatory Bodies (SRBs), we are eager to work closely with the government and SRBs to achieve the desired goals set out by the Honourable Prime Minister in this initiative.
I am pleased to note that most of the concerns of the industry have been broadly addressed, and we greatly appreciate the government’s continuous engagement with stakeholders and the public to develop the finer details for the pragmatic implementation of the vision set out by Mr. Rajeev Chandrashekhar ji. This is a definitive positive step for the sector in distinguishing between illicit companies operating betting sites and online gaming sites.”
2. Malay Kumar Shukla, Secretary, E-Gaming Federation
“The rules will play a pivotal role in bringing transparency, ensuring player protection, attracting investment, boosting investor confidence, and creating job opportunities.
We are grateful to the government for recognising the sector’s long standing need of bringing about regulatory clarity by prioritising and notifying the regulations.” (Economic Times, 2023)
3. Roland Landers, CEO, AIGF
“We are grateful to MeitY (IT Ministry) for notifying the amendments to regulate online gaming under the Indian Information Technology Act, and acknowledging the long-standing demand of the gamers and the online gaming industry.”
These rules will go a long way in promoting consumer interest while helping the industry grow responsibly and transparently and will also help in curbing the menace of anti-national and illegal offshore gambling sites, which have been proliferating in the last few years. (Economic Times, 2023)
4. Joy Bhattacharjya, Director-General of the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), stated the move is expected to “put an end to the ambiguities that the industry was grappling with and lay the foundation for sustainable and responsible growth of the industry”. (SN, 2023)
5. Ranjana Adhikari, Partner at IndusLaw said the online gaming rules are a positive step in the right direction and put the central government in the driver’s seat for online gaming regulation. (Sagar, 2023)
6. Jay Sayta, Eminent Technology and Gaming Lawyer also welcomed the amendments largely and noted that it will be very difficult for illegal offshore betting platforms to operate and promote themselves in the country now. (Rathi, 2023)
7. S.S. Rana & CO, The Law Firm believes that the rules are an appropriate response to a long-standing demand by various stakeholders to regulate the growing gaming industry. Introduction to an industry-centric self regulation regime with the Ministry acting as a facilitator will provide ample leg room for the industry to flourish while, hopefully, preventing malfeasance, cheating, invasion of privacy, addiction, piracy, abuse, and bullying from unfettered proliferation. (Chopra & Oberoi, 2023)
8. Ashish Philip Abraham, L&S Attorneys said the “new definitions of online real money gaming have been introduced based on the stakeholder consultation and this has brought about much-needed clarity in the IT Amendment Rules and will help in ongoing GST litigations.” (Indulia, 2023)
It is worth noting that the government’s move to regulate the online gaming industry is not unique. Government authorities over the globe have been grappling with how to regulate the rapidly growing online gaming sector, with some countries like the UK and Malta leading the way in creating a robust regulatory framework.
However, the regulations must attain a balance between protecting players and preventing genuine companies from being suffocated by unduly stringent restrictions. The reforms made by the Indian government seem to have achieved the right equilibrium, enabling legal skill-based gaming businesses to continue operations while giving players a safe and secure gaming environment.
In conclusion, the new amendments to the regulations in the online gaming sector are a vital step toward ensuring a safe, fair, and transparent gaming experience for all players. The industry leaders are welcoming these changes and committing themselves to responsible gaming practices to provide a better gaming experience to the users.
References and Credits
Economic Times. (2023, April 7). New online gaming rules will propel industry to compete globally, weed out betting platforms, say players, ET BrandEquity. Brand Equity. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/digital/new-online-gaming-rules-will-propel-industry-to-compete-globally-weed-out-betting-platforms-say-players/99311915
Economic Times. (2023, April 7). New online gaming rules will propel industry to compete globally, weed out betting platforms, say players, ET BrandEquity. Brand Equity. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/digital/new-online-gaming-rules-will-propel-industry-to-compete-globally-weed-out-betting-platforms-say-players/99311915
SN, V. (2023, April 8). Online gaming rules a ‘watershed’ moment, say Indian startup founders. Moneycontrol. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/indias-online-gaming-rules-a-watershed-moment-say-startup-founders-10378541.html
Sagar, V. (2023, April 7). What Do Govt’s New Online Gaming Rules Mean & How Has Industry Reacted? EXPLAINED. News18. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://www.news18.com/explainers/what-do-govts-new-online-gaming-rules-mean-how-has-industry-reacted-explained-7488265.html
Rathi, V. (2023, April 6). Online gaming industry welcomes amendments to IT Rules announced by MeitY today. G2G News. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://g2g.news/online-gaming-laws/online-gaming-industry-welcomes-amendments-to-draft-rules-announced-by-meity-today/
Chopra, R., & Oberoi, V. (2023, April 7). Online Gaming Law- Bans Wagering Apps. S.S.Rana & Co. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://ssrana.in/articles/new-online-gaming-law-bans-wagering-apps/
Indulia, B. (2023, April 7). Provisions for Online Gaming introduced vide IT Rules, 2023 | SCC Blog. SCC Online. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/2023/04/07/ministry-of-electronics-and-information-technology-notified-information-technology-intermediary-guidelines-and-digital-media-ethics-code-amendment-rules-legal-update-legal-research-legal-news/
