Skill or chance? Definitions haunt gaming
NEW DELHI: Skill or chance? It’s a billion-dollar question that is haunting India’s online gaming industry, and even the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is believed to have stepped into the issue now.
As gaming grows by leaps and bounds in India and attracts private equity and other investments from across the world, the issue has finally boiled down to one simple question — is gaming based on ‘skill’, or it is governed by ‘chance’? If it’s the latter, it’s akin to gambling, which makes it illegal.
Also, how does one differentiate between casual gaming (such as Ludo King, Candy Crush, Dota2) and real-money gaming (such as rummy, poker,
, Dream11) that are based on cards or online fantasy sports.
Industry players, analysts and experts
TOI spoke to say this moot question is keeping the industry’s balance hanging even as it grows at a break-neck speed — especially after the lockdown that saw people confined to homes get hooked to gaming.
Concerns around gambling have seen gaming being banned in such states as Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where it is seen as being based on ‘chance’. Companies allege that “random definitions and interpretations” are often made in the absence of a clear policy.
