Government forms seven-member panel to regulate online gaming

The government has set up an inter-ministerial panel to work on regulations for the online gaming industry and identify a nodal ministry to look after the sector, an official source said on Thursday.

The seven-member panel includes government think-tank Niti Aayog's CEO as well as secretaries of home affairs, revenue, industries and internal trade, electronics and IT, information and broadcasting and sports.

The panel will look into various aspects to promote online gaming and frame regulatory mechanisms for the segment, protection of gamers, ease of doing business, among others, the source said.

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The Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) appreciated the government's decision to set up the inter-ministerial task force (IMTF) for online gaming.

"This step indicates the impetus that the government is willing to provide for the growth of India's online gaming industry. The task force is a big step in creating regulatory certainty for the nascent and fast-growing online gaming industry," FIFS said.

Online gaming and fantasy sports industry leaders -- FIFS chairman Bimal Julka, Fantasy Akhada co-founder Pratik Gosar, Khelo Fantasy founder Santosh Smith, among others -- met Minister of State for Skill Development, Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar for discussions.

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FIFS said the task force has been entrusted with examining issues faced by the online gaming industry, understanding global best practices in legal and legislative frameworks, and bringing in a comprehensive and uniform regulatory regime for a responsible, transparent and safe online gaming environment.

It said the formation of the task force is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of making India's digital gaming sector a global powerhouse.

"A unified regulation will go a long way in removing the complexities and compliance burden on the online gaming platform operators. We feel the regulatory actions in the right direction will positively impact India's sunrise industry," FIFS said.