The Indian government on December 26 notified that the IT Ministry will be the nodal ministry for all matters relating to online gaming and the Sports Ministry will be the nodal ministry for e-Sports. Following the announcement, IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweeted that the IT Ministry will soon publish rules for online gaming intermediaries and start a public consultation on the same. This hasn't happened in a vacuum. Back in May this year, the government set up an inter-ministerial task force chaired by Rajeev Chandrasekhar to work on online gaming regulations and to identify a nodal ministry for the sector. The task force submitted its report in October. Why does this matter: Thus far, the online gaming industry has remained largely unregulated which, on one hand, has fuelled gambling addiction, costing the lives of people. On the other hand, it has created uncertainty for gaming platforms because different Indian states took up the mantle to come up with their own regulations including banning certain games like rummy and poker. One of the main reasons why the sector was unregulated was because it remained unclear which ministry should be tasked with the responsibility. Now with the IT Ministry being given the task, appropriate safeguards to reduce harm to users can be instituted and companies operating in this nascent, fast-growing sector can get much-needed clarity. "A nodal ministry for online gaming has been a long-standing demand of the industry and we welcome this move. This will make it easier to come up with uniform regulations and…
