Indian Gaming Market
The growing popularity of gaming has been pivotal in the sharp rise in the number of game developers and operators in the Indian market of late. The booming Indian gaming market promises huge growth potential and even foreign gaming giants look to the Asian sub-continent. However, operating a gaming business may be easy in other countries, but it is an altogether different ball game in India. Let’s take a look at the laws and regulations governing gaming in India.
Regulation of the Gaming Industry
In order to regulate the monetary aspect of the gaming industry, Indian laws differentiate between games of skill and games of chance. A game of skill is defined as a game in which the outcome primarily depends on the gamer’s skills, training and knowledge of the game, and chance is not so important. On the other, the outcome in a game of chance depends mainly on luck or chance, not on players’ skills. Skill games are completely legal to play online. The rapid growth of the gaming industry proves that. All online gaming platforms must maintain the transparency and integrity of the industry.
Skill or Chance: The Decisive Factor
Penetration of internet services into the rural areas of the county, emergence of digital payment systems and the advancement in telecommunication technology have all contributed to the fast growth of the industry. However, despite all these technological developments, skill or chance prove to be the decisive factor in determining the legality of the business of games in India. Games of skills are permitted to be hosted and played, both free and cash games, while games of chance are prohibited. While the element of chance cannot be completely ruled out in any game, the game outcome in skill games is principally dependent on players’ skills. Some of the popular online gaming apps that offer skill games are the Rummy app, Fantasy Sports and Horse Racing apps.
Hosting, providing or playing free and cash games of skill is not gambling and the Supreme Court of India has declared it legal. Skill-based games can be played with cash online anywhere in India, except in the states of Telangana, Assam and Odisha.
Skill-Games Industry in India
Most of the skill-games operators in the country are licensed business entities. Growth in the gaming has resulted in the increased revenues for game operators. It has transformed the industry into a very lucrative one, encouraging a lot of new companies to try to have a pie of the market. The fast-growing industry is not only generating employment opportunities for people but also contributing to government revenues through taxes.
Conclusion
The exponentially increasing number of smartphone users, easy options to download the rummy game app, rise in digital payment platforms and the improvement in IT infrastructure have been crucial factors giving a boost to the skill-gaming industry. The future of the industry is bright and to a great extent depends on ensuring high standards of transparency and self-regulation.