India’s transition to set up an inter-ministerial board to study guidelines for skill-based online gambling has been invited as a “positive step” for the expanding industry.

The seven-member board incorporates secretaries of home affairs, income, industries and internal trade, electronics and IT, information and broadcasting, sports, and think tank Niti Aayog. It will investigate different perspectives to promote online gaming and casing administrative mechanisms for the segment, assurance of gamers, and ease of carrying business.

The foundation of the board was first reported by Indian media, referring to an anonymous source.

“It is a decent day for the online skill gaming industry and we commend the public authority’s transition to making a stride towards setting up a task force to work on the rules for this dawn sector,” said Roland Landers, CEO, All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) in a written response to the news. “We have been supporting to have central rules for this sector for more than 10 years at this point as the pinnacle industry body for online skill gaming and it is remunerating to see our efforts getting recognized.

“This task force won’t just look at issues looked by the online skill gaming industry, yet, in addition, comprehend the worldwide prescribed procedures and will help in getting a comprehensive and uniform central administrative system for a responsible, transparent, and safe online skill gaming climate.”

“This is a positive development to accomplish the greatest capability of the expanding on the online skill gaming industry and is under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India’s digital gaming sector a worldwide powerhouse.”

The Supreme Court has decided that online skill-based games, like poker and rummy, are legitimate, however, the issue of the guideline is settled on a state-by-state basis. Many state legislatures have looked to boycott all gambling, bringing about a series of court fights as the industry tries to layout it’s right to exist.

A new report by the U.K. India Business Council observed that an absence of robust guidelines was one of the key reasons keeping down the industry.

Credit: Asia Gaming Brief