As new 28% GST on online gaming takes off, gamers brace for impact

Rishi Raj, a Gurgaon-based avid player of online poker, believes that the government has been successful where most of his family failed - getting him to quit the real money game

Even as the Centre’s newly mandated goods and services tax (GST) rules for online gaming, set at 28 per cent, came into effect on October 1, the move has been met with mixed reactions from Indian gamers. While some players have rejoiced, others see the new tax as a potential threat to the inchoate industry.

Rishi Raj, an avid online poker player based in Gurugram, believes that the government has succeeded where most of his family failed — in getting him to quit real-money gaming (RMG). Raj, who has won nearly Rs 7 lakh through online gaming, has also lost Rs