Published by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, the rules are made of a number of amendments to the established Information Technology Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code.
The rules establish that an online game is defined as any game played via the internet where a player “makes a deposit with the expectation of earning winnings”. But the Indian government can declare certain games under this blanket is needed.
The proposed self-regulatory bodies must provide “an independent eminent person from the field of online gaming, sports or entertainment, or such other relevant field”, as well as “an individual who represents online game players”, a psychology or consumer education expert and a public policy expert nominated by the central government of India.
These bodies then must create a series of rules “with a view to safeguarding users against harm”, such as gambling addiction, safeguarding children, and the prevention of financial crimes.
A consultation on the amendments will be open until January 17th.
