The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has made major changes to the laws governing online gaming in India. As per the new rules set by the Government of India, Self-Regulatory Organizations or SROs will decide whether online games will be allowed to operate within the country. The new rules, notified by Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar, also banned betting or betting in the country.
MeitY states that the purpose of these amendments is to enforce greater diligence by online gaming and social media intermediaries with respect to fake or falsely misleading information relating to online gaming and government business.
“We see the Indian online gaming ecosystem expanding and developing into a multi-billion dollar industry and can be a significant catalyst towards India’s goal of a $1 trillion digital economy by 2025-26, which includes online betting and There are very clear restrictions on betting,” MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar said at the press conference.
As per the amended rules, it has been made mandatory for intermediaries to make reasonable efforts not to host, publish or share any online game that may cause harm to the user, or that may be passed off as a permitted online game. has not been verified. Online gaming self-regulatory body/bodies designated by the Central Government.
The rules will also ensure that online games or sites that involve gambling will be completely banned, including any time of advertisement or presence.
What do the new rules say?
- The new rules mandate intermediaries (such as Google’s Play Store or Apple’s App Store) to ‘not host, publish or share any online game that may cause harm to the user, or that is not permitted online Not verified as a game. An online gaming self-regulatory body/bodies or SROs designated by the Central Government.
Intermediaries shall ensure that their platforms do not advertise or promote any online game which is not a permitted online game. Or in other words, the new rules ban the promotion of games that are not permitted by the SRO.
- The SRO shall verify that an online game “does not involve betting on any outcome” and that the online gaming intermediary and game comply with regulations and requirements under the law. Psychological harm to the SRO, parental controls A framework will also have to be established with respect to safeguards against user harm, including safeguards through the medium, age-rating mechanisms and measures to safeguard users against the risk of gaming addiction.
Under the new rules, online gaming intermediaries must display a mark of verification by the SRO for real money games.
Intermediaries must inform their users about the policy for withdrawal or withdrawal of deposits, the method of determination and distribution of winnings, and the fees and other charges payable. They will also have to get the KYC details of the users. Additionally, these intermediaries may not credit users or enable third party funding to play online games involving real money.
“If the Central Government issues a notification in the interest of the users or other specified grounds, the same rules and obligations shall apply to games where the user is not required to make any deposit for winnings,” MeitY They say,
The SRO will be comprised of representatives from the online gaming industry, but will operate at a distance from its members. These SROs will be governed by a separate board consisting of directors who are free from conflicts of interest and represent all relevant stakeholders and experts, including online game users, academics, psychology or mental health experts, ICT experts, persons with child rights protection experience represent. Persons having experience in relevant areas of public policy and administration.
The new rules also now make it mandatory for intermediaries not to publish, share or host fake, false or misleading information in relation to any central government business.
Major amendments to online gaming regulations following MeitY’s war against online betting was revealed first on Techlusive.
