Why online gaming in India needs regulation

Of the numerous things that the pandemic has changed in our lives, an obvious one is the way we entertain ourselves. Amid the proliferation of OTT channels and the rise in viewing hours what has gone unnoticed is the burgeoning use of online gaming. The average time spent on online gaming has gone up almost 65 per cent from pre-Covid levels. More than 43 crore people have spent time on virtual gaming.

There are three types of online gaming. The first is e-sports. These are video games which, in the 1990s, were played privately or on consoles in video game shops but are now played online in an organised way between professional players, individually or as teams. The second is fantasy sports. These are games in which you choose a team of real sports players from different teams and win points according to how well the players perform in real life.

Finally, there are online casual games which could be skill-based — where the outcome is predominantly influenced by mental or physical skill — or based on chance, where the result is strongly determined by some randomised activity, such as rolling a dice. A game of chance may be considered as gambling if players wager money or anything of monetary value.

This flourishing industry suffers from lack of regulatory oversight. Online gaming falls in a regulatory grey area and there is no comprehensive legislation with respect to its legality, or its boundaries with gambling and betting even as the applicable tax rate is being debated in relevant circles.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/why-online-gaming-in-india-needs-regulation-7695383/