The Indian government has tweaked the rules for online gaming by prohibiting games that involve betting and wagering.

The prohibition was listed on Thursday by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) which released a framework of multiple self-regulatory organisations (SROs).

These SROs will determine whether internet games are legal based on whether they allow wagering.

The new guidelines define online game&nbsp;as “that is offered on the internet and is accessible to a user through a computer resource or an intermediary.”

These SROs are part of the IT Rules, 2023, passed by the ministry and pave&nbsp;the way for the establishment of a self-regulatory body for the registration and regulation of online gaming platforms as "intermediary" which is defined as one that "offers one or more than one online game".

New gaming guidelines

Minister of State for Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, while speaking to media on Thursday differentiated between “online game” and “online real money game”, claiming that the latter has been banned.

“We see the Indian online gaming ecosystem to expand and grow into a multi-billion dollar industry and be an important catalyst to India’s one trillion-dollar digital economy goal by 2025-26, with very clear restrictions on online wagering and betting,” the minister said at a press conference.

“We’re dealing with a framework that allows an SRO, and there will be multiple SROs, to determine whether or not all online gaming is permissible,” Chandrasekhar added.

According to the guidelines, the government will designate various SROs comprising industry representatives, educators, and other professionals such as child experts, psychology experts, and so on, according to the final guidelines.

The government is going to notify three SROs, but more might be added later, he said.

The online gaming industry has been flourishing in India for the past four to five years or so, and accounts for $1.8 billion of the gaming market, mostly fuelled by mobile games.

A report by the Boston Consulting Group and Sequoia on India's mobile gaming sector shows that more than 300 million Indians play mobile games, and the gaming sector as a whole has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 38 per cent in 2019-2020 and 37 per cent in the previous fiscal year.

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

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The Indian government has tweaked the rules for online gaming by prohibiting games that involve betting and wagering. The prohibition was listed on Thursday by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) which released a framework of multiple self-regulatory organisations (SROs).

The Indian government has tweaked the rules for online gaming by prohibiting games that involve betting and wagering. The prohibition was listed on Thursday by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) which released a framework of multiple self-regulatory organisations (SROs). These SROs will determine whether internet games are legal based on whether they allow wagering. The new guidelines define online game as “that is offered on the internet and is accessible to a user through a computer resource or an intermediary.” These SROs are part of the IT Rules, 2023, passed by the ministry and pave the way for the establishment of a self-regulatory body for the registration and regulation of online gaming platforms as "intermediary" which is defined as one that "offers one or more than one online game". New gaming guidelines Minister of State for Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, while speaking to media on Thursday differentiated between “online game” and “online real money game”, claiming that the latter has been banned. “We see the Indian online gaming ecosystem to expand and grow into a multi-billion dollar industry and be an important catalyst to India’s one trillion-dollar digital economy goal by 2025-26, with very clear restrictions on online wagering and betting,” the minister said at a press conference. “We’re dealing with a framework that allows an SRO, and there will be multiple SROs, to determine whether or not all online gaming is permissible,” Chandrasekhar added. According to the guidelines, the government will designate various SROs comprising industry representatives, educators, and other professionals such as child experts, psychology experts, and so on, according to the final guidelines. The government is going to notify three SROs, but more might be added later, he said. The online gaming industry has been flourishing in India for the past four to five years or so, and accounts for $1.8 billion of the gaming market, mostly fuelled by mobile games. A report by the Boston Consulting Group and Sequoia on India's mobile gaming sector shows that more than 300 million Indians play mobile games, and the gaming sector as a whole has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 38 per cent in 2019-2020 and 37 per cent in the previous fiscal year. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Indian govt tightens screws on online gaming, bans betting and wagering

China has forbidden under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours a week, a stringent social intervention that it said was needed to pull the plug on a growing addiction to what it once described as "spiritual opium".

The new rules, published on Monday, are part of a major shift by Beijing to strengthen control over its society and key sectors of its economy, including technology, education, and property, after years of runaway growth.

The restrictions, which apply to any device, including phones, are a body blow to a global gaming industry that caters to tens of millions of young players in the world's most lucrative market.

They limit under-18s to playing for one hour a day - 8 pm to 9 pm - on only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, according to the Xinhua state news agency. They can also play for an hour, at the same time, on public holidays.

The rules from the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) regulator coincide with a broader clampdown by Beijing on China's tech giants, such as Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings.

The campaign to prevent what the state media has described as the "savage growth" of some companies has wiped tens of billions of dollars off shares traded at home and abroad.

"Teenagers are the future of our country," Xinhua quoted an unnamed NPPA spokesperson as saying. "Protecting the physical and mental health of minors is related to people's vital interests, and relates to the cultivation of the younger generation in the era of national rejuvenation."

Gaming companies will be barred from providing services to minors in any form outside the stipulated hours and must ensure they have put real-name verification systems in place, said the regulator, which oversees the country's video games market.

Previously, China had limited the length of time under-18s could play video games to 1.5 hours on any day and three hours on holidays under 2019 rules.

The new rules quickly became one of the most discussed topics on Weibo, China's answer to Twitter. Some users expressed support for the measures, while others said they were surprised at how drastic the rules were.

"This is so fierce that I'm utterly speechless," said one comment that received over 700 likes.

Others expressed doubt that the restrictions could be enforced. "They will just use their parents' logins. How can they control it?" asked one.

Gaming Shares Zapped

The Chinese games market will generate an estimated $45.6 billion of revenue in 2021, ahead of the United States, according to analytics firm Newzoo.

The crackdown reverberated around the world.

Shares in Amsterdam-listed tech investment company Prosus, which holds a 29% stake in Chinese social media and video game group Tencent, were down 1.45%, while European online video gaming stocks Ubisoft and Embracer Group each fell over 2%.

Shares of Chinese gaming stocks slid in pre-market trading in the United States with NetEase falling over 6% and mobile game publisher Bilibili dropping 3%.

About 62.5% of Chinese minors often play games online, and 13.2% of underage mobile game users play mobile games for more than two hours a day on working days, according to state media.

Gaming companies have been on edge in recent weeks as state media criticised gaming addiction among young people, signalling a regulatory crackdown.

A state media outlet described online games as "spiritual opium" this month and cited Tencent's "Honor of Kings" in an article that called for more curbs on the industry, battering shares in the world's largest gaming firm by revenue.

Tencent later announced new measures to reduce the time and money children spend on games, starting with Honor of Kings. Its president also said it was working with regulators to explore ways in which the total amount of time minors spent on gaming could be capped across all titles in the industry.

The NPPA regulator told Xinhua it would increase the frequency and intensity of inspections for online gaming companies to ensure they were putting in place time limits and anti-addiction systems.

It also said that parents and teachers played key roles in curbing gaming addiction.

China has forbidden under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours a week, a stringent social intervention that it said was needed to pull the plug on a growing addiction to what it once described as "spiritual opium".

China has forbidden under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours a week, a stringent social intervention that it said was needed to pull the plug on a growing addiction to what it once described as "spiritual opium". The new rules, published on Monday, are part of a major shift by Beijing to strengthen control over its society and key sectors of its economy, including technology, education, and property, after years of runaway growth. The restrictions, which apply to any device, including phones, are a body blow to a global gaming industry that caters to tens of millions of young players in the world's most lucrative market. They limit under-18s to playing for one hour a day - 8 pm to 9 pm - on only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, according to the Xinhua state news agency. They can also play for an hour, at the same time, on public holidays. The rules from the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) regulator coincide with a broader clampdown by Beijing on China's tech giants, such as Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings. The campaign to prevent what the state media has described as the "savage growth" of some companies has wiped tens of billions of dollars off shares traded at home and abroad. "Teenagers are the future of our country," Xinhua quoted an unnamed NPPA spokesperson as saying. "Protecting the physical and mental health of minors is related to people's vital interests, and relates to the cultivation of the younger generation in the era of national rejuvenation." Gaming companies will be barred from providing services to minors in any form outside the stipulated hours and must ensure they have put real-name verification systems in place, said the regulator, which oversees the country's video games market. Previously, China had limited the length of time under-18s could play video games to 1.5 hours on any day and three hours on holidays under 2019 rules. The new rules quickly became one of the most discussed topics on Weibo, China's answer to Twitter. Some users expressed support for the measures, while others said they were surprised at how drastic the rules were. "This is so fierce that I'm utterly speechless," said one comment that received over 700 likes. Others expressed doubt that the restrictions could be enforced. "They will just use their parents' logins. How can they control it?" asked one. Gaming Shares Zapped The Chinese games market will generate an estimated $45.6 billion of revenue in 2021, ahead of the United States, according to analytics firm Newzoo. The crackdown reverberated around the world. Shares in Amsterdam-listed tech investment company Prosus, which holds a 29% stake in Chinese social media and video game group Tencent, were down 1.45%, while European online video gaming stocks Ubisoft and Embracer Group each fell over 2%. Shares of Chinese gaming stocks slid in pre-market trading in the United States with NetEase falling over 6% and mobile game publisher Bilibili dropping 3%. About 62.5% of Chinese minors often play games online, and 13.2% of underage mobile game users play mobile games for more than two hours a day on working days, according to state media. Gaming companies have been on edge in recent weeks as state media criticised gaming addiction among young people, signalling a regulatory crackdown. A state media outlet described online games as "spiritual opium" this month and cited Tencent's "Honor of Kings" in an article that called for more curbs on the industry, battering shares in the world's largest gaming firm by revenue. Tencent later announced new measures to reduce the time and money children spend on games, starting with Honor of Kings. Its president also said it was working with regulators to explore ways in which the total amount of time minors spent on gaming could be capped across all titles in the industry. The NPPA regulator told Xinhua it would increase the frequency and intensity of inspections for online gaming companies to ensure they were putting in place time limits and anti-addiction systems. It also said that parents and teachers played key roles in curbing gaming addiction.

Three hours a week: China's new rules for children playing video games 

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Indian govt tightens screws on online gaming, bans betting and wagering

Three hours a week: China's new rules for children playing video games