Online gaming Bill puts no liability on gamers: Union Minister Vaishnaw

The online gaming sector comprises three segments, namely e-sports, online social gaming, and real-money games, said Ashwini Vaishnaw

The government’s attempts at engaging with the gaming industry to create solutions, such as a self-regulatory body or transparency in algorithms, so that rising instances of addiction to online real money games could be curbed, did not yield any results over the past three-four years, Union Minister for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw told Aashish Aryan in an exclusive interview. Edited Excerpts:

 

What is the government’s intent behind the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025?

 

The online gaming sector comprises three segments, namely e-sports, online social gaming, and real-money games. Of these three, the Bill aims to promote two segments of e-sports and social gaming. We would like to make India a game-making hub. The country's creative energies, cultural richness, technological & design capabilities will be harnessed in the first and second segments.

 

There are very significant harmful effects on society because of online real money games. There are cases of suicides, and middle-class families losing their entire family savings. It is a serious menace that all parties across political ideologies have been flagging. Therefore, we have brought this Bill.

 

Did the government make any attempts to work with the gaming industry on these issues?

 

Our attempts at engaging with the industry, creating a self-regulatory body, making sure the addiction is contained, and there is some transparency as far as the algorithms of the gaming companies are concerned did not yield any results in the past three-four years. It is important that we save society from these harmful effects while promoting the positive aspects of online gaming.

 

What steps will be taken to promote e-sports and social gaming sectors?

 

We would like to promote e-sports and social gaming very actively, which is why, through the Bill, we are creating an authority which will oversee and promote these sectors. We have taken steps to establish the first Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) in Mumbai. More IICTs will be established on the lines of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM), so that the creative energies of our youth can be channelised into the creative economy. That is the method by which we are promoting the positive part of the online gaming sector.

 

Will this Bill also impact gamers who play or have been playing these games?

 

People who are affected by online real-money games are victims, so there is no liability on them under this Bill. Advertisers of online real-money games, and those who provide services of financial transactions for such games have a liability for sure. There is also liability on those who provide these online real-money gaming services but as such no liability on gamers.