Law to regulate online gaming brought without heeding to any pressure: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the government brought in a new law to regulate online gaming without heeding to any pressure to ensure that the future of country's youth is safeguarded.

In an interaction with national awardee teachers, the prime minister said there are huge job opportunities in online gaming market and urged teachers to sensitise students about opportunities in the sector which can be tapped.

"Gaming is not bad but gambling is...future of our youth must be safeguarded," Modi said, referring to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, recently passed by the Parliament.

"India can dominate global online gaming market, if done in a right manner...there are huge job opportunities too," he said.

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 bars all forms of online money games while promoting e-sports and other online games.

The Act seeks to prohibit advertisements related to online money games and bars banks and financial institutions from transferring funds for any of such games.

"We introduced a new online gaming law...all teachers must now sensitise students that gaming and gambling are different. This is a big decision that we have taken and many forces did not want us to ban online gambling but our government has the political will and intent to protect future of youth.

"There are many games with which students were impressed and affected, money was being wasted, even housewives had begun to try them. The losses were driving people to suicide, it became like an addiction which was destroying families as people were being trapped," he said.

The prime minister said teachers can play a big role in sensitising students about harmful effects of online money games.

"...we have decided that such harmful content will not pe placed before students. I urge teachers to sensitise students about this...now even Olympics has included online gaming, having that talent is different but making it reach addiction stage is something which needs to be avoided at any cost," he said.