In an industry that is intensely experiencing a need to feel superior because of selfish business matters and the absence of a unified front, the central government is a welcome move, it wants to set up a high-level inter-ministerial task force to bring some order to the online gaming sector.

The quickly developing online gaming sector has captured the creative minds of the general public and the Union government for both great and awful reasons.

The current media and entertainment world is about OTT (digital streaming), Edu-tech, Fin-tech, and gaming organizations. If the Indian Premier League, the world’s biggest T20 cricket tournament, is taken, for instance, its environment is overwhelmed by Indian Edu-tech, fin-tech, online gaming, and offshore betting organizations.

No matter what the courts may say, there is a not-kidding component of uncertainty in the minds of the public over “skill” and “chance” based games. A few state legislatures, like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, have challenged High Court orders for gaming organizations. These cases are forthcoming in the Supreme Court.

As indicated by pioneers, cutting across political lines, online games incorporating money are compared with betting or gambling and, in this manner, are considered a social evil.

Recently, the Rajasthan government drafted a draft Bill on online gaming that is heavily slanted toward fantasy sports. The All India Gaming Federation, the apex body representing significant gaming operators, is presenting a report on Friday that will request a “correction” in the draft Bill.

“It should be adjusted and help all skill gaming organizations develop their business and flourish.” At its present status, the draft is a hardliner towards fantasy sports, and that is unfair to other games. We will anticipate a reasonable methodology, “said Roland Landers, the CEO of AIGF.

At a point when states are attempting to direct the online gaming sector, the Center’s move to frame a panel and present some strategy in the franticness has calmed the frayed nerves of top operators.

“This is an incredible move. We have high expectations that the inter-ministerial board will bring lucidity to the industry, which will prompt development,” said MPL, the key sponsor of the Indian cricket team and a major BCCI partner.

The task force will incorporate the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and seven different agencies, including the NITI Aayog, minister of information and broadcasting, sports, home, revenue, and industries. It is still unclear who will serve as the board’s “chief.”

Roland Landers brings up that when the Center is taking an interest in regulating the online gaming sector, states like Rajasthan pondering their systems might appear to be a ‘contention.’

“There is a critical requirement for an extensive public strategy and the draft bill proposed by the Rajasthan government appears to be awkwardly surrendered to the inter-ministerial task force at the Center for online skill gaming,” added Roland Landers.

Credit: Outlook