The game is up, it is being argued with good reason, for India’s online money gaming platforms. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, a first by way of legislation, passed by both Houses of Parliament with very little debate, aims to inflict punitive damage on OMG entities. All OMG services have been banned; deterrents in the form of prison terms and heavy financial penalties exist for facilitators of such an endeavour; advertisements of OMG entities will also be punished with sentences of up to two-year prison terms as well as fines of Rs 50 lakh. The figures and the facts presented by the government regarding this sector merit concern. It is estimated that nearly one in every five gamers in the world is from India. The Union minister of electronics and information technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, stated that 450 million players have apparently lost Rs 20,000 crore to OMG entities. Other transgressions, such as money-laundering and even terror financing, the minister added, have also been associated with OMG; he compared the menace with that of drug addiction. Data by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Ernst & Young mirror the official statistics: more than 155 million Indians, FICCI-EY estimates suggest, had logged into the diverse OMG edifice in 2024 alone. Among them, 110 million played every single day. That a law with teeth is required — and has now been passed — to deal with the deleterious consequences of such mass involvement
cannot be denied.
The question, though, is whether the bill has failed to achieve a balance between punitive and regulatory imperatives. Voices from the industry have argued that the ban will kill the potential of the e-gaming market, touted as the next big thing for India. There is also concern about the future of the 200,000 odd employees in a segment that was also a source of foreign investment worth Rs 25,000 crore three years back. Additionally, some argue that the ban would push OMG operations underground, enabling them to elude the eyes of law. International precedents are also illustrative. Belgium and China have pushed for hard bans while the United Kingdom and Austria have permitted such gaming with adequate regulatory checks and balances. Given its burgeoning young, mobile-savvy population, a middle path, comprising a wise mix of penal deterrents and regulations, would be advisable for India. Such a template
will facilitate State oversight of OMGs that require a close watch.