On Thursday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced a new set of guidelines for online gaming that prohibit any game that involves wagering or betting. The Centre has banned any game that requires a framework of multiple self-regulatory organisations (SROs) and involves betting or wagering under the new rules. So are the new rules for online gaming.

New rules for online gaming

These SROs will be responsible for pronouncing internet games admissible based on whether they offer betting. “A game that is offered on the internet and is accessible by a user through a computer resource or an intermediary” is the definition of “online game” in the new regulations.

The IT Rules, 2023, passed by the IT Ministry, require a self-regulatory body to register and regulate online gaming platforms as “intermediaries,” which are defined as those that “offer one or more online games.”

Press Conference

During a press conference, Minister of State for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar made the announcement, stating that new rules for online gaming will apply to games that involve wagering or betting. He went on to say that there will be multiple SROs, and all stakeholders, including but not limited to the industry, will participate in these SROs.

Chandrasekhar stated, “We are dealing with a framework that allows for the determination of all online gaming as permissible or not by an SRO, and there will be multiple SROs.”

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The straightforward rule that “if wagering is involved, the SRO will be in a position to say that those online games are not permissible” will be used to determine permissibility.

According to the last standards, the public authority will name various self-administrative associations (SROs) involving industry delegates, educators, and different specialists like youth specialists, brain research specialists, and so on. The government will notify three SROs at first, but it may add more later.