NEW DELHI, Feb 6: A light-touch balanced regulatory framework is best suited to enable Online Skill Gaming (OSG) to grow responsibly, promote innovation and protect consumers as well, a report said on Monday.
The report released by think-tank Pahle India said steps taken by the Government towards providing legitimacy and predictable policy environment for online gaming, includes appointment of MeitY as the nodal agency, release of draft rules and the introduction of positive measures in Union Budget 2023-24 to give a particular taxation approach to online gaming, distinct from betting and gambling.
Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) came out with the draft rules which have provided much-needed clarity and legitimacy to the OSG sector. It said that the sector now needs a robust regulatory framework to realize its immense potential for growth and innovation.
Talking about the report, Pahle India Foundation chairman and former vice chairman NITI Aayog Rajiv Kumar said setting up a regulatory regime is the most prudent choice for enabling the growth of this sunrise sector.
“Good regulation for any industry is determined by the balancing of responsibilities between policymaker, industry and end-consumers. The regulatory framework for new-age sectors like OSG should be a light-touch regulatory one that is a combination of principles, rules and self-regulation, he said.
Such a regulatory framework is required to meet the multiple challenges that the OSG industry is facing today including perception, lack of proper definition, presence of fly-by-night operators and money laundering apprehensions. These challenges often impede growth and any kind of potential innovation in the sector, it said.
To mitigate the challenges, the report suggests six tenets of regulating the industry — safeguarding minors, responsible play, marketing and advertising, grievance redressal mechanisms, financial frauds and anti-money laundering.
The structure or approach to regulation should include a statutory regulator or Gaming Commission and Self-Regulatory Organizations (SROs).
The Gaming Commission would be responsible for granting licenses, setting standards, rules and guidelines and conducting compliance audits that regulate the everyday functioning of the sector while the SROs will play an important role to encourage responsible play which is the essence of the regulatory framework, the report titled – A Regulatory Framework for the Online Gaming Sector said.
The present three industry associations of the sector – the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), the E-Gaming Federation (EGF) and the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) will play the role of SROs and lay down guidelines in line with industry and global best practices such as data protection and prevention of underage play.
Each member of these associations should adhere to these guidelines. The SROs can also help enhance rules over time as it best understands the industry, it said.
The report said the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), another SRO that sets advertisement standards and guidelines for India should take up the responsibility of ensuring that marketing and advertising material in the industry should not be misleading and should contain necessary disclaimers, information and warnings.
Advertisements must not be targeted towards minors or those exhibiting addictive behaviour and suitable changes to algorithms must be made so that minors are not part of any target group in online marketing. (PTI)
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