Gaming startups form two regulatory bodies; to hold talks with govt

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will make the final decision on the number of self-regulatory bodies and the composition of their boards of directors

Gaming start-ups and firms are in the process of forming two self-regulatory bodies (SRB), the details of which will be submitted to the Centre by the end of the week, according to a report in The Economic Times. Of the two bodies, one regulatory body is being proposed by All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) members, while the other is likely to be formed by firms that are members of the e-gaming Federation (EGF) and the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), the report said.

Retired Supreme Court judge Justice AK Sikri, retired IT ministry scientist Rakesh Maheshwari, former national cybersecurity coordinator Gulshan Rai, and former Chief Information Commissioner Bimal Julka have been approached by the SRB, formed jointly by EGF and FIFS members, to be a part of the board of directors, the report said.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will make the final decision on the number of SRBs and the composition of their boards of directors. The IT ministry is likely to approve the formation of the respective SRBs within the next fortnight, the report said.

The SRB, composed of EGF and FIFS members, has proposed setting up a ‘testing framework’ to objectively define and classify games of skill and chance. The framework is likely to be submitted to MeitY on Tuesday.

“There will be 7 tests based on which games which apply for certification with us will be adjudged if they are a game of skill or chance. All games which apply for certification will have to pass six of these to get a provisional certification to operate in India. The games will then get up to 3 more months to get the seventh certification, following which they can apply for the final certificate,” one of the people cited in the report said.