Online games with monetary bets likely to have a 'child lock' mechanism

MeitY could also call for formation of a self-regulatory organisation; policy release likely in 2-3 weeks

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is close to finalising a policy to regulate online gaming and is likely to mandate an age verification mechanism and know-your-customer (KYC) norms for all real-money games, sources said.

The rules, which aim to address concerns around user safety and financial harm from real-money games, will be inserted into the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The ministry is also likely to prescribe the formation of a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for the online gaming industry, a person familiar with the matter said.

The policy is expected to