After Tamil Nadu passed an ordinance banning online gaming, industry players are circumspect about alienating the growing esports market in the state & even the country. Communication with industry experts & devising nuanced legislature to promote esports & restrict unhealthy casual gaming is vital, they said.

“Online gaming in the State has been popular since the advent of competitive gaming,” said Gnana Shekar, CEO of Team Tamilas & Founder of Zoink Gamer lifestyle.

He further stated, “Tamil Nadu has consistently produced high-quality esports athletes on a national level, and awareness on gaming has curated a large casual gaming franchise. This has, in turn, created a lucrative esports market in the state.”

“This boom can be attributed to the success of online games and mobile games, particularly that of PUBG. Prior to PUBG, there was not much focus on investors and publishers in the eSports industry in India. Following the surge in interest and rise in talent, many companies have come forward to sponsor athletes.” he said. As per Google-KMPG, the online gaming industry in India is foreseen to reach $1.1 billion by 2021 & is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 43% according to a FICCI-EY report in 2020,

“Currently. the gaming industry follows a self-regulatory model which incorporates the necessary checks and balances to ensure sufficient protection of gamers. Regulating this sector can boost investment trends in states, create jobs and contribute economically,” said Roland Landers, CEO of the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF).

“The law states any betting through common gaming houses. Will not be allowed, but is unclear on what that means for my company, which has gaming houses for our members.” said Shekar. “What we fear is that many in the executive and legislature are ‘not aware of the various sub-sects of the gaming industry, and are Iumping together a lucrative part of the economy with unhealthy gaming habits in the current legislature,” he said.

For assisting with the current formation of legislature, that are outdated due to the date when they were created & the brisk changes taking place in the gaming sector, industry experts believe that some type of communication with industry players is vital to the creation of a holistic legislature.

“The restrictive amendments made by some state governments, including Tamil Nadu, have been made without sufficient consultation with the industry. Instead of removing/banning games from the market, the government should seek to devise a regulatory framework in consultation with the industry stakeholders, which AIGF would be happy to provide,” said Landers.