Union Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated Thursday that the new regulations governing online gaming will go into effect October 1.
“We’ve been engaging with the industry for almost three years now. After the law was passed, we resumed discussions with all stakeholders, including gaming companies, banks, and other relevant entities,” the minister said.
Vaishnaw added that one final round of discussions will be held with industry stakeholders before the implementation begins. “If the industry feels they need more time, we are open to considering that. Our government believes in a highly consultative process for practically everything we do,” he said.
The Online Gaming Act, which was announced on August 22, is the first piece of national legislation to criminalize online real-money gaming in the whole of India, regardless of whether such games are categorized as games of skill or games of chance. It defines a cognizable and non-bailable offense to merely participate in or offer such games.
The legislation was introduced to the Lok Sabha on August 20, and was passed in two days. It changes the previous regulation of the gaming industry, which was largely left to State laws and court decisions that categorized games of skill as non-gambling.
Also Read: Edit Nano Banana-Style Pics Now on Your WhatsApp with Perplexity AI – But Here’s the Catch!
