The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) called for another public consultation on online gaming rules on January 17. Sources said that all major industry bodies, policy advocacy groups, and industry stakeholders will deliberate on the recently released policy.

The ministry earlier this month released draught amendments to the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, in terms of online gaming. The draught rules endorse a self-regulatory body to certify what’s authorized as an “online game” in India. They also prescribe a registration mark on all online games registered through the SRO (self-regulatory organization).

Rajeev Chandrashekhar, the minister of state for electronics and information technology, met with children, parents, teachers, Esports athletes, gamers, and safety and trust organizations on January 11 at the Electronics Niketan, or MeitY’s office, to discuss proposed rules for online gaming. The clarity of the meaning of an online game, the implementation of KYC norms, and child safety were among the principal concerns raised during the meeting.

The subsequent round of deliberations is predicted to include around 80-100 people from industry bodies, policy advocacy groups, and other representatives from the online gaming industry in the country, sources said. January 17 is likewise the final date for filing feedback on the policy through the MyGov website.

The rules characterize an online game as any game that is offered on the Internet and is opened by a user through a computer resource, assuming he deposits with the assumption of earning rewards. When the policy is sanctioned, the gaming platforms will be expected to show due diligence under the rules, including “reasonable efforts” to cause their users not to host, display, upload, publish, transmit, or share an online game that is not in conformity with Indian law, including any law on pay-to-play.

The online gaming intermediaries likewise need to appoint a Chief Compliance Officer who is a resident of India. The compliance officer will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules and coordinating consistently with law enforcement agencies. They are also expected to designate a point of contact for 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies and officers to ensure that their orders are followed.

During a free discussion held by some industry organizations, the gaming organizations requested a relaxation for smaller intermediaries from the necessity of appointing compliance officers. They also had reservations about the freedom of self-regulatory organizations to be formed to provide enrollment to every single online game.

Credit: Business Standard