New amendments to IT Rules lack clarity, fall short in defining key aspects
1 year, 8 months ago

New amendments to IT Rules lack clarity, fall short in defining key aspects

The Hindu  

Published : Apr 20, 2023 11:00 IST - 12 MINS READ The odds that anyone using social media, watching television, or reading a newspaper in India has seen an After a series of consultations, on April 6, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology notified the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023, and framed rules for “permissible” online real money games and brought them under regulatory oversight. “We see the Indian online gaming ecosystem to expand and grow into a multi-billion dollar industry and be an important catalyst to India’s one trillion-dollar digital economy goal by 2025-26, with very clear restrictions on online wagering and betting,” Union Minister of State for MeitY Rajeev Chandrasekhar said announcing the amendments. The amended rules have carved out a category named “permissible online real money game”, which is a game “verified by an online gaming self-regulatory body”. There is always an “overlap” between chance and skill, and most online real money games in India contain elements of both, and courts have looked at “preponderance” of skill or chance during litigations.

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GNLU: 3rd Legislative Drafting Competition : Online Gaming And Gambling Regulation Act 2025 [Register By 26th December]
1 week, 5 days ago

GNLU: 3rd Legislative Drafting Competition : Online Gaming And Gambling Regulation Act 2025 [Register By 26th December]

Live Law  

The GNLU Centre for Research in Criminal Justice Sciences is organising the third edition of its Legislative Drafting Competition. Currently, most states prohibit gambling under the Public Gambling Act, 1867, but the law does not cover the rapidly expanding online gaming industry. The Online Gaming and Gambling Act, 2025 should provide a comprehensive framework that regulates the growing online gaming …

Amid lack of regulation, online gaming in limbo, failing to attract investment
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Amid lack of regulation, online gaming in limbo, failing to attract investment

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The Centre’s failure in appointing proposed self-regulatory bodies for the online gaming sector has left the industry in limbo, with small firms struggling to get investors and large ones innovating without any legal guardrails to try and rope in more paying consumers. Industry stakeholders, policy consultants and lawyers told Mint that next year’s expected Supreme Court rulings on …

Advancing India’s Online Gaming Regulation: One Measure at a Time
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Advancing India’s Online Gaming Regulation: One Measure at a Time

ABP News  

By Dharmender Jhamb & Anusha Jain Online gaming in India is experiencing an exponential rise, transforming from a niche hobby into a mainstream entertainment powerhouse. Efforts Towards Regulating Online Gaming A significant effort to streamline the online gaming sector came in April 2023 when the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology amended the IT rules. Types of Measures to regulate …

The health impact of gambling worldwide is much worse than previously known, international research says
1 month, 4 weeks ago

The health impact of gambling worldwide is much worse than previously known, international research says

ABC  

The global health impacts of gambling are much worse than previously thought, according to an international medical journal. "Our conclusion is clear: gambling poses a threat to public health, the control of which requires a substantial expansion and tightening of gambling industry regulation," the report said. "So that there isn't any threat to governments and countries that want to prohibit …

Regulating India’s online gaming industry
11 months, 1 week ago

Regulating India’s online gaming industry

The Hindu  

As we know, market failures manifesting in various forms such as monopolies, externalities, and information asymmetries not only diminish economic value but also erode societal well-being, which results in decline in the trust of users. The online gaming industry in India is predominantly a home-grown start-up ecosystem growing at 27% CAGR. Similar to other forms of digital media, the meteoric …

Govt has right to regulate online gaming, HC told
1 year, 1 month ago

Govt has right to regulate online gaming, HC told

Hindustan Times  

The Union government has the legislative competence to regulate matters of online gaming, the Centre has told the Delhi high court. HT Image It made the statement in response to a petition by NGO Social Organisation for Creating Humanity challenging the constitutional and legislative validity of the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023, which aim to regulate online gaming. In an …

TN Law Regulating Online Games Won't Apply To Games Of Skill Like Poker & Rummy : Madras High Court
1 year, 1 month ago

TN Law Regulating Online Games Won't Apply To Games Of Skill Like Poker & Rummy : Madras High Court

Live Law  

The Madras High Court on Thursday upheld the validity of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act 2022. The court, however, added that the Act would not be applicable to games like rummy and poker, which were games of skill and will be applicable only against games of chance. The court added that games …

‘Very concerned about Lava chief Rai’s arrest’
1 year, 2 months ago

‘Very concerned about Lava chief Rai’s arrest’

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The arrest of a top Lava International Ltd executive is concerning given the phonemaker’s position as a leading Indian brand in the growing smartphone industry, Union minister of state for information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said. The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested Hari Om Rai, co-founder, chairman and managing director of Lava, as well as three officials linked to …

‘Government intervention will give regulation of online gaming a lot more teeth’
1 year, 3 months ago

‘Government intervention will give regulation of online gaming a lot more teeth’

The Hindu  

The E-Gaming Federation, a not-for-profit organisation to protect consumer interest and self-regulate the Indian gaming sector, has welcomed the recent guidelines proposed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for regulation of the industry. The Union government had proposed steps to regulate online gaming by way of amendments to the Information Technology Rules. The government stepping in will give …

Evolving Legal Framework Of Online Skill-Based And Chance-Based Games
1 year, 3 months ago

Evolving Legal Framework Of Online Skill-Based And Chance-Based Games

Live Law  

In the realm of Indian law, a pivotal distinction exists between "Game of Skills" and "Game of Chance." Several Indian States, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, and Assam, adopted a strict stance, barring all involvement in real-money games of skill and chance. The Meghalaya and Nagaland legislations define "game of skill", as games where there is preponderance of …

Only intention of online gaming companies is to make money through inducements and addiction, Tamil Nadu govt. tells Madras High Court
1 year, 4 months ago

Only intention of online gaming companies is to make money through inducements and addiction, Tamil Nadu govt. tells Madras High Court

The Hindu  

The argument related to rummy and poker being games of skill and not games of chance can at best be raised by players and not the online gaming companies whose only intention is to make money through inducements and consequent addiction, the State government argued before the Madras High Court on Monday. Should not the State be worried about this?” …

Online gambling Act is fully within the legislative competence of the State, Tamil Nadu govt. asserts before Madras High Court
1 year, 5 months ago

Online gambling Act is fully within the legislative competence of the State, Tamil Nadu govt. asserts before Madras High Court

The Hindu  

The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022, is intra vires the legislative competence conferred on the State legislature by the Constitution and not ultra vires as contended by All India Gaming Federation and others, the State government has asserted before the Madras High Court. Given that the object of the Act was to …

Despite Tamil Nadu Governor nod to ban online gambling, issue far from resolved
1 year, 8 months ago

Despite Tamil Nadu Governor nod to ban online gambling, issue far from resolved

The Hindu  

Published : Apr 20, 2023 11:00 IST - 12 MINS READ On June 6, 2022, 29-year-old Meena, a mother of two children, died of suicide at Manali New Town in Chennai. The chapter on “Assent to Bills” in Article 200 of the Constitution states: “When a Bill is so returned, the House or Houses shall reconsider the Bill accordingly, and …

Online gambling can earn you a jail term in Tamil Nadu, but what's next?
1 year, 8 months ago

Online gambling can earn you a jail term in Tamil Nadu, but what's next?

Live Mint  

NEW DELHI : Tamil Nadu has banned online gambling, rekindling a campaign against gaming firms in India that has raged for over a year-and-a-half. After much back-and-forth the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Ordinance was passed on 10 April. Since India’s constitution says that a Supreme Court ruling becomes law of the land, gaming …

Tamil Nadu Governor gives assent to Bill banning online gambling
1 year, 8 months ago

Tamil Nadu Governor gives assent to Bill banning online gambling

The Hindu  

Published : Apr 10, 2023 15:46 IST - 6 MINS READ Hours after the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly adopted a resolution against the Governor for an unprecedented second time on April 10, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Earlier in the day, the Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted a resolution against the Governor, “unanimously” insisting that the Central government and the President “immediately …

What Do Govt's New Online Gaming Rules Mean & How Has Industry Reacted? EXPLAINED
1 year, 8 months ago

What Do Govt's New Online Gaming Rules Mean & How Has Industry Reacted? EXPLAINED

News 18  

The Centre on Thursday notified norms to regulate the online gaming sector wherein real money games involving wagering or betting have been prohibited. The industry on Thursday said the new rules for online gaming will spur innovation, boost investor confidence and weed out gambling platforms while making the sector globally competitive, as per a PTI report. All India Gaming Federation …

Tamil Nadu Assembly re-adopts Bill against online gambling
1 year, 9 months ago

Tamil Nadu Assembly re-adopts Bill against online gambling

The Hindu  

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Thursday, March 23, 2023 re-adopted the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, 2022 moved by Chief Minister M.K. The Chief Minister said he was moving the Bill with a heavy heart since “44 persons had died by suicide after incurring heavy financial loss in online gambling.” He also recalled …

Self-regulation of online gaming will need safeguards
1 year, 9 months ago

Self-regulation of online gaming will need safeguards

Live Mint  

Video games are bad for you? The draft rules adopt a light-touch approach to regulation and provide for industry-created Self-Regulatory Bodies that would be responsible for registering online games and developing a framework for user protection. To ensure independence of SRBs, the registration conditions also call for provisions in the SRB’s Articles of Association to ensure independent functioning that is …

Union budget 2023: Earnings from online games to be taxed
1 year, 10 months ago

Union budget 2023: Earnings from online games to be taxed

Hindustan Times  

Earnings from online gaming will now be taxed at source, the union budget which was announced on Wednesday stated outlining the government’s stand on taxing the space for the first time. “For lottery, crossword puzzles, games, among others, threshold limit ₹10,000 for TDS shall continue but will apply to aggregate winnings during a financial year.” Last month, the ministry of …

Gaming and gambling: The Hindu Editorial on the Centre’s move to regulate online gaming
1 year, 11 months ago

Gaming and gambling: The Hindu Editorial on the Centre’s move to regulate online gaming

The Hindu  

The Union government’s proposed measures for regulating online gaming in a draft amendment to the Information Technology Rules, 2021 leave several questions unanswered. States such as Tamil Nadu want much stricter regulation of the sector than what is being proposed by the Centre in the draft, particularly for gambling with real money. So far, the industry has staved off several …

Govt Proposes Self Regulation for Online Gaming Cos, Gamers' Verification; Forbids Betting
1 year, 11 months ago

Govt Proposes Self Regulation for Online Gaming Cos, Gamers' Verification; Forbids Betting

News 18  

The government has proposed self-regulatory bodies for online gaming companies operating in India in a draft amendment to IT rules, but will not allow betting. “…the intermediary shall, before hosting or publishing or advertising an online game for a consideration, ascertain from the online gaming intermediary and verify from the concerned self-regulatory body,” the draft rules said. Chandrasekhar said online …

Indian government proposes online gaming policy; wagering not allowed
1 year, 11 months ago

Indian government proposes online gaming policy; wagering not allowed

The Hindu  

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Monday proposed an amendment to bring online gaming under the ambit of the Information Technology Rules, 2021. “Any game that allows or permits wagering on its outcome is effectively a no-go area,” Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in an interaction with the media. “This will boost the legitimate domestic online …

Centre advises against betting in online games, releases draft rules
1 year, 11 months ago

Centre advises against betting in online games, releases draft rules

Hindustan Times  

Betting or gambling on the outcomes of online games will not be allowed and online gaming companies are required to register themselves with self-regulatory body to avoid such practices, Union ministry of electronics and information technology said in a notice on Monday. The ministry has released draft rules for online gaming companies, in which provisions for self-regulatory mechanism and players' …

Online Gaming Companies Can Have Self Regulation And Due Diligence: Govt
1 year, 11 months ago

Online Gaming Companies Can Have Self Regulation And Due Diligence: Govt

News 18  

New Delhi: The government has proposed a self-regulatory mechanism, mandatory verification of players and physical Indian address for online gaming companies, according to the draft online gaming rules published on Monday. "The draft amendments are aimed at addressing the said need while enabling the growth of the online gaming industry in a responsible manner," the notice said. The draft amendments …

Fighting the menace of online gambling
1 year, 11 months ago

Fighting the menace of online gambling

The Hindu  

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has chosen to remain silent on the fate of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill even four weeks after the Ordinance on the same subject lapsed. An ordinance to prohibit online gambling and regulate online games in Tamil Nadu was promulgated on October 1 by Mr. Ravi. Pattali …

How betting apps and fantasy leagues appropriated and bastardised the term “online gaming”
2 years ago

How betting apps and fantasy leagues appropriated and bastardised the term “online gaming”

Firstpost  

Online games used to refer to online video games that people played for entertainment, fun, socialising and to build a community. However, in recent years, the term has been appropriated by the online betting and fantasy sports industries in such a way that most people who are not gamers, just sneer when they hear the words “online gaming.” As a …

All real money online games to come under federal oversight: Reports
2 years ago

All real money online games to come under federal oversight: Reports

Op India  

As per media reports, the Government of India is planning to regulate all online games including real-money games based on skills as well as chance. For example, the Supreme Court of India says that rummy and certain fantasy games are skill-based and legal, however, state courts have different views over such games including poker. PM Modi expressed concerns over mental …

Government plans federal oversight of all real-money online games: Report
2 years ago

Government plans federal oversight of all real-money online games: Report

Live Mint  

India's planned regulation of online gaming will apply to all real-money games after the prime minister's office overruled a proposal to only regulate games of skill and leave out games of chance, according to a government document and three sources. An Indian panel tasked with drafting the regulation in August proposed a new body to decide whether a game involves …

Online games based on chances: Tamil Nadu law minister defends ban
2 years ago

Online games based on chances: Tamil Nadu law minister defends ban

India Today  

Tamil Nadu law minister S Regupathy on Friday issued a clarification to the queries raised by Governor RN Ravi regarding the state's ban on online gambling and regulations of online games. The minister said that games are differentiated based on chance and skill and that online gambling has been banned as it is based on chances. In an earlier court …

65% of Indians dub fantasy sports as online gambling: Survey
2 years, 1 month ago

65% of Indians dub fantasy sports as online gambling: Survey

India Today  

Should online games such as rummy, poker and online fantasy games be tagged as gambling or a game of skill? Around 74% out of 12,602 people believed that the loss limit per game for online and fantasy gaming should be Rs 50-1,000, indicated a recent survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform. Around 9,507 respondents were asked: Should …

Fantasy Gaming: 1 in 2 Indians Want Loss Limit of Rs 50-500 Per Game
2 years, 1 month ago

Fantasy Gaming: 1 in 2 Indians Want Loss Limit of Rs 50-500 Per Game

News 18  

As the debate on online gaming heats up in India, more than one in two Indians want a loss limit of Rs 50-500 per game for online and fantasy gaming, a report said on Tuesday. For 65 per cent out of 9,507 respondents, online fantasy sports is akin to gambling/wagering or a game of chance with risks in contrast to …

Explained | Which Indian States Have Banned Online Gaming and Why?
2 years, 1 month ago

Explained | Which Indian States Have Banned Online Gaming and Why?

The Quint  

On 16 November, the Madras High Court withdrew a batch of petitions challenging a Tamil Nadu state ordinance that bans online gaming and online gambling, after the state government said that the ordinance had not come into effect yet. Even as this happens, a central government-appointed task force has recommended a new nationwide legislation to regulate online gaming and digital …

All India Gaming Federation challenges constitutional validity of T.N. Ordinance banning online games
2 years, 1 month ago

All India Gaming Federation challenges constitutional validity of T.N. Ordinance banning online games

The Hindu  

All India Gaming Federation has approached the Madras High Court challenging the constitutional validity of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Ordinance, 2022. When things stood thus, the State government amended the Tamil Nadu Gaming Act, 1930, in 2021 and banned even games of skill such as rummy and poker if they were played for …

E-Gaming Federation to Challenge Tamil Nadu's Ordinance to Ban Online Gaming
2 years, 2 months ago

E-Gaming Federation to Challenge Tamil Nadu's Ordinance to Ban Online Gaming

News 18  

New Delhi, Oct 19: E-gaming Federation will challenge an ordinance issued by the Tamil Nadu government to ban online gaming as it categorises rummy and poker as games of chance, the industry body said on Wednesday. "Bringing rummy under the ambit of a game of chance is directly in violation of the Supreme Court judgments and the Madras High Court …

Tamil Nadu Assembly passes law banning online gambling, federation to challenge the ban
2 years, 2 months ago

Tamil Nadu Assembly passes law banning online gambling, federation to challenge the ban

The Hindu  

The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a Bill moved by Chief Minister M.K. According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, online gambling and online games are addictive in nature and increase the threat to public order manifold, while posing difficulties in terms of designing appropriate regulation. A committee headed by retired High Court Justice K. Chandru, constituted …

Online Gaming In India: A Look At The Sector's Evolution And Regulation Over The Years
2 years, 2 months ago

Online Gaming In India: A Look At The Sector's Evolution And Regulation Over The Years

ABP News  

New Delhi: India's online gaming industry has seen huge growth in the last few years. Going online is the most convenient way for people to gamble, so with India's growing online population, online gaming has also become more prominent. With the rise of online gaming in India comes risks and this is what some states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka …

Gaming Federation disappointed at ordinance issued by Tamil Nadu government
2 years, 2 months ago

Gaming Federation disappointed at ordinance issued by Tamil Nadu government

The Hindu  

Gaming Federations in India have requested the State government to reconsider the ban on online skill games. This is disappointing as it disregards 6 decades of jurisprudence and the recent judgment of the Madras High Court which struck down a similar law,” said Roland Landers, CEO of The All India Gaming Federation. The All India Gaming Federation also pointed out …

Tamil Nadu bans online ‘games of chance’ and gambling
2 years, 2 months ago

Tamil Nadu bans online ‘games of chance’ and gambling

The Hindu  

Online gambling and online games of chance have been banned in Tamil Nadu. For the purpose of regulation of online games, the ordinance has proposed the creation of the Online Gaming Authority, which will be headed by a retired officer who was of the rank of Chief Secretary. The Online Gaming Authority will issue certificates of registration to local providers …

Kerala Looking To Amend Gaming Laws To Curb Online Rummy
2 years, 3 months ago

Kerala Looking To Amend Gaming Laws To Curb Online Rummy

ABP News  

Thiruvananthapuram: With celebrities promoting online rummy and massive Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said in the state assembly that the government was considering bringing in the amendment subject to the outcome of its appeal in the Kerala High Court against a single judge order, quashing the ban on online rummy games played for money. The CM was responding to a …

Government invites inputs from stakeholders on online gaming
2 years, 4 months ago

Government invites inputs from stakeholders on online gaming

The Hindu  

The Tamil Nadu government has sought inputs from stakeholders such as members of the public, parents, teachers, students, youth, psychologists, social activists and online gaming service- providers on the proposed legislation to regulate online games. The need to ban or regulate online gambling has been brought to the government’s attention, and leaders of political parties, psychologists and social activists have …

Panneerselvam urges government to speed up efforts to ban online games
2 years, 6 months ago

Panneerselvam urges government to speed up efforts to ban online games

The Hindu  

AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam on Friday urged Chief Minister M.K. Recalling a decision taken by the AIADMK government, under Jayalalithaa, in 2003 to ban lottery tickets, Mr. Panneerselvam said, “The ban is in force, there are media reports that this industry is up and running and many influential people are behind it and the police are indifferent.” This being the …

It's time to rewrite our online gaming laws
2 years, 10 months ago

It's time to rewrite our online gaming laws

Live Mint  

The year 2021 witnessed a slew of laws on online betting and gaming being passed across the Indian subcontinent. While quashing an overarching ban imposed by Tamil Nadu’s gaming amendment in the matter of Junglee Games vs State of Tamil Nadu, the high court clarified that games of skill can be played online for stakes, as they cannot be categorized …

What does the future of online gaming with stakes look like in India?
2 years, 10 months ago

What does the future of online gaming with stakes look like in India?

Business Standard  

Before we delve into the details, let us first skim through the difference between a skill-based game and a chance-based game. In its 1957 order, the Supreme Court had said that games of skill would be where “success depends principally upon the superior knowledge, training, attention, experience and adroitness of the player”. On 14th February 2022, the Karnataka High Court …

Gaming and banning
2 years, 10 months ago

Gaming and banning

The Hindu  

Yet another legislative attempt to prohibit online gaming has failed under judicial scrutiny. Last year, the Madras High Court invalidated similar amendments that targeted online rummy and poker. And gaming platforms are also a legitimate business that enjoy the freedom of trade when used for online versions of games of skill. Also, the amendments contradicted a general exemption in the …

Online Gambling Set to Make Comeback in Karnataka as HC Strikes Down Law as Unconstitutional
2 years, 10 months ago

Online Gambling Set to Make Comeback in Karnataka as HC Strikes Down Law as Unconstitutional

News 18  

The Karnataka High Court, on Monday February 14, quashed a recent law enacted by the state to ban online gambling, and stated that it was unconstitutional. The high court had in December reserved its order after conducting a series of hearings from a host of petitioners who challenged the constitutional validity of Karnataka’s new online gambling law that was implemented …

India Needs Better Regulation to Differentiate Online Gaming from Online Gambling
3 years, 2 months ago

India Needs Better Regulation to Differentiate Online Gaming from Online Gambling

News 18  

Beijing has enacted new laws to curb video game addiction amongst minors in China and now gamers under the age of 18 will be banned from playing games from 10 pm to 8 am. View: China is Putting Limits to Online Gaming for Kids, Indian Policymakers Must Step in Too Politicians often raise concerns on the corrupting influence of video …

Betting on games of skill and chance
3 years, 4 months ago

Betting on games of skill and chance

The Hindu  

Since 2018, S. Mahesh has lost a few lakh rupees playing rummy and cricket online. The judges pointed out that several States had either banned or regulated online games that involved gambling and hoped the Tamil Nadu government would take appropriate steps. The court also ordered notice to celebrities who endorsed online games in A batch of petitions was filed …

Madras HC strikes down Tamil Nadu law banning online gaming of rummy, poker with stakes
3 years, 4 months ago

Madras HC strikes down Tamil Nadu law banning online gaming of rummy, poker with stakes

India Today  

The Madras High Court has struck down the Tamil Nadu Gaming and Police Laws Act of 2021, which bans playing of online betting games like rummy and poker with stakes. READ: Andhra Pradesh govt bans online games like Rummy, Poker to 'protect youth' The bench declared as unconstitutional, Part II of the TN Gaming & Police Laws Act, 2021, which …

Indian state bans online gaming over ‘suicides and gambling debts’
4 years ago

Indian state bans online gaming over ‘suicides and gambling debts’

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An Indian state has passed …

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