The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has been designated as the nodal ministry for online gaming, a move the industry says will bring clarity and certainty to all stakeholders.
The Sports Department of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has been notified as the nodal Ministry for ‘eSports as part of multi-sports events’.
The central government recently notified these modifications to the Business Allocation Rules.
IT State Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweeted that Meity will soon come up with standards for online gaming intermediaries.
The government is committed to fully encourage technological innovation, but also to ensure that illegal content/services are not possible. “@GoI_MeitY will soon publish the rules for online gaming intermediaries and start a public consultation on them,” Chandrasekhar tweeted on Tuesday.
The Fantasy Sports Federation of India hailed the government’s decision to appoint the IT Ministry as the nodal ministry to regulate the online gaming sector, saying that “the appointment of MeitY as the central regulatory authority will bring clarity and certainty to investors, industry and consumers. .
“The decision is in line with the government’s initiative to boost the growth of the AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Games and Comics) sector and make India a global hub for online gaming,” said Joy Bhattacharjya, CEO of FIFS.
Bhattacharjya said, “We are confident that the online gaming industry will grow responsibly under the guidance of MeitY and the industry looks forward to working with MeitY to create a well-balanced regulatory framework.”
Bangalore-based blockchain-based esports fan engagement startup STAN said that at a time when gaming and esports are emerging as the fastest growing sectors of the economy, it is encouraging to see that the government takes measures to improve these sectors with greater regulatory clarity.
“We at STAN welcome this move to name nodal ministries for online gaming and esports. This move is also in line with the much-needed agenda to recognize esports as an official sport in our country, thus giving a fantastic boost and a level playing field for today’s esports athletes, game makers and the community at large, and further make esports an emerging sector in India in 2023 and beyond,” said Parth Chadha, CEO and Co-Founder of STAN. .