Indians have had a serious long-standing tryst with playing different indoor games just as enjoying real money games. Talking from a cultural and wistful viewpoint, in the Indian culture, gambling has been frequently seen as a bad habit and been marked as an unscrupulous or indecent demonstration — and as it should be, as studies across the world have shown that gambling, particularly when done redundantly and desperately, can prompt a large number of individual conduct just as cultural issues going from addiction, monetary losses/debts, relationship issues and medical problems like Gambling Disorder.

Then again, gaming has been generally shown to be a positive and empowering skill, that isn’t just fun but, in addition, sparkles innovativeness and encourages social connections.

The digital route
In the new year’s, both gambling and gaming are progressively going the ‘online’ or ‘digital’ course and are likewise combining from various perspectives. Be that as it may, there’s a significant dilemma related to the developing ‘overflow impacts’ in the gaming and gambling fields — viz. individuals can’t distinguish skill-based gaming from gambling.

Furthermore, subsequently, they have begun utilizing the two terms reciprocally — gaming and gambling — which is very hazardous! It is lamentable to note that even numerous industry savants are these days saying that even a wide range of real money-based games ought to be totally prohibited because these have a few likenesses with online gambling!

Separating the wheat from the chaff
Likening skill-based real money gaming with gambling is much the same as saying apples and oranges are something similar! It has neither rhyme nor reason. Above all else, in skill gaming, the main factor that any gamer would need to dominate would be the skill, procedures, and in-depth information on the specific game he/she is playing — as toward the day’s end, to win or to perform ideally, skill and competence are what clearly will matter the most.

In any case, in online gambling, the dominating element to win money is destiny or probability (depending on the chances) — which means regardless of whether you are skilled, it doesn’t promise you achievement in gambling.

Besides, the inspiration of gamers regardless of whether he/she is a novice or an expert — is to play a game or go into a gaming competition for the fun, relaxation as well as a friendly component of it, as opposed to just for bringing in cash. The gaming biological system blossoms with colossal enthusiasm, commitment, and liveliness.

Make easy money
Then again, in gambling sites or applications, one would generally go just for satisfying the craving (or greed) to make easy money and bring in increasingly more money, and he/she would likewise be needed (much of the time) to store a specific sum before being permitted to begin gambling.

In India, financial stakes (wagers) are normally positioned on online card games like Rummy, Poker, Teen Patti and Fantasy games like Fantasy Cricket and Fantasy Soccer — perhaps this doesn’t really suggest that playing or taking part in these ‘real money’- based games makes one a gambler!

We need to understand the difference between ‘games of chance’ and ‘games of skill’ — given the current situation in India wherein in many States, betting money on a game of chance is considered unlawful, however putting bets on a game of skill is, indeed, legitimate in many places (or if nothing else can be lawfully safeguarded in a courtroom).

A ‘game of skill’ is one where a player’s success is determined based on how productively he/she plays the game and the amount he can put his/her skills to utilize. Though in many ‘games of chance’, the gameplay and even winners are randomly determined, either manually or using technology (possibly through a calculation or predefined programming), and consequently the winning and the prize has significantly had the chance to do with the luck of a player.

In 2019, in the Ravindra Singh Chaudhary versus Union of India case, the Rajasthan High Court had decided that Fantasy Sports didn’t comprise gambling as its players would require skills like that of a real sports team manager.

In a new decision, the Tamil Nadu High Court has struck down the State’s restriction on online card games like Rummy, Poker and others. These are welcome developments identified with separating ‘games of chance’ and ‘games of skill’, and will go far in promoting a positive story for gaming against gambling.

As per an EY-All India Gaming Federation report, the online gaming sector in India is viewed as one of the quickest developing sectors, which is estimated to cross $2 billion by 2023. Given the humongous potential that skill-based games hold for the future, particularly towards empowering tremendous economic development and in furthering ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ over the long haul, it is time for India develops a reasonable, explicit and powerful approach making on this front to keep up the development force of the skill gaming industry.

Simultaneously, it is additionally upon every one of the stakeholders viz media, gamers, and gaming enthusiasts, and the gaming organizations in our nation to fight the misperception of skill-based gaming with gambling. Once there is a reasonable and government-approved outline between skill-based games and chance-based games, all things considered, gaming would not have needed to feel as much warmth or fury as today is looking because of the dangers related to gambling.

Credits: BusinessLine