What's the news?: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) overruled proposals for an Indian government regulation that will only cover games of skill and not games of chance, reports Reuters. All real-money games will come under the regulation, according to a document viewed by Reuters and three sources speaking to the media house. Confidential minutes of an October 26th government meeting accessed by Reuters revealed that the PMO sought greater oversight over all types of games. The PMO official attending the meeting added that differentiating between games of skill and chance was difficult because of the unclear and contrasting legal and judicial positions on the matter. Online gaming can be considered as a single activity or service "with no distinction", the official reportedly said. Officials speaking to Reuters said the forthcoming rules will give the Indian government greater oversight over all games. However, state governments will still have the power to ban games of chance. How is this different?: In August, the Indian government's task force drafting the law suggested that a new body could determine if a game involves chance or skill. It further suggested that games of skill be governed by the Indian government's rules which would prescribe requirements for registration, KYC processes, and grievance redressal. Games of chance, or gambling-related games, were to stay under state governments' jurisdiction. Why does it matter?: Online gaming bodies have been pushing the Indian government for unified legislation for the online gaming sector for years now. It is often because games determined to be games of skill…
