MeitY appointed as nodal ministry for online gaming industry

The Indian government has selected the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology as the nodal ministry to lead India’s growing online gaming industry. Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the ministry will soon publish rules for online gaming intermediaries and start public consultation on these rules.

He said, “Government is committed to encouraging tech innovation, and also needs to ensure no illegal content, services are made available.” The Ministry of youth affairs and sports (MYAS) has been appointed to regulate esports as part of multiple sports events. In May, a seven-member inter-ministerial task force was set up under the Minister of State for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar to select a nodal agency for the sector.

Roland Landers, CEO of All India Gaming Federation, said, “We welcome the appointment of MeitY as a nodal ministry for online gaming. A uniform central regulation for online skill gaming has been a long-standing demand of the industry and this step will hopefully lead to a progressive regulatory framework underpinned by consumer welfare. This will help further grow the industry and make online gaming a cornerstone of Digital India.”

Online gaming includes games such as Candy Crush, Teen Patti and fantasy sports among others. However, the task force doesn’t consider games of chance, like online betting or gambling, within online gaming.