INDIAN GAMING STATESIDE
Skill Games Council urges Rajasthan govt to make draft law inclusive
The Skill Games Council of India on Wednesday suggested that the Rajasthan government should make the draft gaming regulation more inclusive by incorporating regulations for all online skill games equally and not just fantasy gaming. In a welcome move, the Rajasthan government recently released a draft gaming regulation but limited the scope to fantasy and eSports. As per the draft regulation, a Gaming
Commission will be set up to regulate online gaming activities in the state. Offenders will also face a penalty of up to rupees two lakh on license and advertising violations, as per the draft. Currently, there is no provision of penalties for online gaming in the state. Commenting on the draft of the bill, Skill
Games Council key member and former Supreme Court judge Vikramajit Sen said, “Judicial precedents have upheld the legality of skill-based online gaming for a while now and there is a dire need for a comprehensive national policy. The draft bill proposed by the Rajasthan government needs to be given proper heed as it is unfair to only include fantasy gaming. I believe the idea is to protect the right of the players and developers who are often overlooked when it comes
considering the laws and regulations for the online gaming community. Having said that, we all know that the sector’s growth lies in its reach, bringing communities together, enabling an alternative to physical sports, working with key life skills such as decision making, critical thinking and logic not to mention attitudes of discipline, responsible digital citizenship. Hence it is advisable for the government to address these challenges for the betterment of all.” The online skill gaming landscape in India has
evolved signifi cantly over the years, with an exponential growth rate year on year, attracting several marquee investors. In 2021, the industry got impetus with favourable decisions from High Courts of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Skill Games Council of India former bureaucrat and a member Sutanu Behuria said, “The online gaming is a sunrise sector and has great potential for increasing employment, enhancing technical skills for the youth and generating revenues for the government. In this context, it is important to create progressive policies and an enabling environment in the regulatory framework. The central government guidelines will enable a coherent, country-wide legislative framework
which will also prevent arbitrage between States. Today, online skill gaming is a very exciting space and skill games are not only providing harmless entertainment (very necessary to maintain a peaceful social fabric) but are also fostering cognitive development and employment avenues due to their tech base. Having a strong regulatory framework will foster safe practices and enable the sector to grow and creating employment avenues.” Meanwhile, the central government recently had
set up AVGC Promotion Taskforce headed by the secretary, of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and will have secretaries of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. The AVGC Promotion Task Force also includes
State Governments of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana; heads of education bodies such as the All India Council of Technical Education, National Council of Educational Research and Training and representatives of industry bodies- MESC, FICCI and CII.
Meghalaya: gaming law won’t be repealed says Chief Minister
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has ruled out the possibility of repealing the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 saying its repeal would cost the state about Rs 10 crore revenue loss. The government is under pressure from all
quarters to not implement the gaming regulation. Opposition leader and former chief minister Mukul Sangma earlier said they would repeal the law once coming into power after the 2023 assembly elections. Ruling coalition partner BJP recently said it doesn’t support the new gaming law. Three provisional licenses were issued recently under the Gaming Regulation. The chief minister said the enactment is
required to regulate existing gambling parlours which have been there for the past 25 years in the hill state, reported PTI. “If we repeal (the Act) then there will be nothing to regulate and we will only be losing close to Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore of revenue,” the chief minister was quoted as saying. The chief minister, however, assured that the
state government has no intention to come up with casinos anywhere in or around major towns and cities of the state.
are a revenue defi cit state, we depend largely on income and taxes that come from the central government. In that case, we will have a huge problem in the coming days and years as so many other activities are coming up and funds are required to run all of this,” the chief minister said.
“We are very clear on that. If there is a way
which we can get revenue and at the same time ensure we don’t allow it to be part of Shillong and other major towns so that our youth are not impacted and ensure our youth don’t play and none of the citizens of Meghalaya is allowed to play, we are examining all those aspects,” he said. He further said that the government is open to
dialogue and to fi nding ways to address all concerns related to the issue as gambling has been there in Meghalaya and it is acceptable by society. The government earlier clarifi ed that locals will not be permitted to gamble under the new law. “Let me be frank, we do need revenue. As we
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www.g2g.news JUNE 2022 27
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