Centre Notifies Online Gaming Rules And Responsibilities Of The Regulatory Body

The Indian government has finalized new rules for online gaming after proposing a draft earlier. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has defined a gaming platform as an "online gaming intermediary" and required that it be registered with a "self-regulatory body." The Ministry will register the regulatory body upon receiving an application from it, and this body will be responsible for determining if an online real money game is acceptable based on whether it involves gambling. 

The self-regulatory body will consist of individuals from various fields such as online gaming, psychology, medicine, public policy, and law enforcement, nominated by the Central government. The notification also states that multiple online gaming self-regulatory bodies will be appointed to ensure that online real money games comply with these rules.

One important aspect of the rules is that they require gaming intermediaries to have a policy regarding how deposits made by users with the intention of winning are refunded, as well as how winnings are determined and distributed, and any associated fees and charges that users may be subject to.

Few key responsibilities

1. One of the responsibilities of the self-regulatory bodies is to keep an up-to-date list of all verified online real money games, which must be published and maintained on their website and/or mobile application at all times.
2. The self-regulatory body has the authority to suspend or withdraw the verification of a gaming intermediary if it determines, after giving them an opportunity to be heard, that the online real money game verified by them is not in compliance with the Rules.
3. Moreover, the self-regulatory body must publish on its website and/or mobile application a framework for verifying an online real money game, which includes measures to ensure that the game is not detrimental to the interests of India's sovereignty and integrity, protection against harm to users (including psychological and self-harm), measures to safeguard children (such as parental controls), and measures to safeguard users against the risks of gaming addiction, financial loss, and fraud.