No to outright ban, yes to right regulation for online gaming in India. That is the relentless call of the local industry bodies, who are seeking for an updated and uniform regulation for the online realm of India.
Need the right regulation, not outright banning: IndiaTech.org
Rameesh Kailasam, chief executive of Indiatech.org, is the latest to join the calls for the “right regulation” to govern the thriving online gaming ecosystem and enforce effective responsible gaming aspects in India. IndiaTech is an industry body that represents tech startups, unicorns and investors in the country.
In an editorial for the Financial Express, Kailasam proposed for the creation of a Code for Responsible Online Gaming (CROG), which will include policies that for age- and genre-based classifications, as well as AI-based interventions for monitoring and reducing potential addictions, and create a safe environment following privacy norms and will provide protection from cyber frauds.
“It is imperative that online gaming operators comply with the principles of responsible gaming and support compliance with practical and legislative demands,” Kailasam wrote. “While banning has never been a solution, it is important for the government and the industry to engage in a more meaningful [conversation], taking along with them the opinion and concerns of stakeholders from the civil society and mental health experts, and work towards developing a ‘Code for Responsible Online Gaming.’”
Comprehensive regulation needed to boost India online gaming industry
The IndiaTech executive’s proposed CROG echoed the proposal recently made by Rajya Sabha member and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi. In December, the veteran lawmaker raised the need for the creation of an independent regulatory body that will oversee the operations of Big Tech companies in the country, including online casino operators and service providers.
Modi urged the government to “make a comprehensive framework for online gaming,” saying that, “Online gaming is becoming a big addiction. I would like to highlight that this sector, like the crypto industry, certainly has a regulatory lacuna.”
To gain a better perspective on how to effectively regulate the rapidly evolving sector of online gaming, what the government can do is take a look at what the established and mature markets have been implementing their regulatory regimes and take note on the wins these countries have been as well as what can be improved to tailor the regulatory framework to fit India’s needs.
Currently, India is still considered an emerging market—one that can benefit the most by utilizing locally regulated permits that will give the government better control and oversight of the regulation and law enforcement as it protects the players’ well-being.
In the ENV Media report on off-shore gambling licenses, analysts described India as a “particularly emblematic case of similarly impending regulatory needs.”
“The prohibition of betting is widely seen to have been ineffective. In such contexts, certain authority recommendations cannot be overlooked. Emerging markets (India in particular but not only) will benefit from creating their own Central regulatory framework, a Gambling oversight body, and a Consumer Data protection regulation,” according to the ENV Media report.
