Online games need approval if monetary gains involved

ONLINE GAMES THAT involve money will need approval from self-regulatory organisations (SROs), according to the final rules framed by the ministry of electronics and IT (MeitY).

- JATIN GROVER

But companies that do not deal in money-related games won't need any such approval. With this move, Meity has steered clear of the earlier nomenclature, which categorised online games into games of skill and games of chance.

Simply put, multiple SROs, not the government, will determine whether a real-money game is permitted to operate or not. Terming the regulations 'light touch', the online gaming industry welcomed the rules for providing much-needed clarity.

An online real-money game is where a user makes a deposit in cash or kind with the expectation of earning on that deposit. "These rules don't deal with all the nuances and the sophistication of games of chance and games of skill. We have bypassed that and laid out a basic principle that the moment an online gaming trespass into involving betting and wagering regardless of the core content of the game, then it falls foul of these rules," said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, minister of state for electronics and IT.

"You don't have to go to SRO if you are only a gaming company, but only when there is money involved in the game," he said. Chandrasekhar said they will initially start by notifying three SROS with more to be notified later.

The structure of SROs will involve government-approved entities, including people with experience in online gaming, an educationist, an expert in the field of psychology, individuals dealing with protection of child rights, among others.