New Delhi [India], August 22 : Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Thursday expressed optimism about the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, stating it's a significant step towards protecting young people from the potential harms of online gaming.
According to Majumdar, the bill addresses instances where youths have lost substantial amounts of money in online games, even resorting to suicide due to financial losses.
Speaking to ANI, Sukanta Majumdar said, "This is a very good act and this bill prevents, as we have seen many instances of youths losing all their savings in online games, committing suicide due to loss of money. This bill will prove very useful in guiding young people in the right direction... The public was expecting such a bill to be passed..."
The bill aims to prevent young people from falling prey to harmful online gaming practices, promoting responsible gaming behaviours. It introduces stringent due diligence requirements for online gaming intermediaries to prevent the dissemination of prohibited content.
The bill mandates the establishment of a robust grievance redressal system to address user complaints related to online gaming activities.
He further criticised the opposition for raising protests and sloganeering while Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was presenting the Bill in the House.
"The behaviour of the opposition is immature. They were saying no to a bill which aims to protect the lives of the youth," he added.
Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed 'The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill'.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had moved 'The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill' as passed by the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing in the Rajya Sabha.
Highlighting the aspects of the bill, the Union Minister explained that there are three aspects of the bill - "E-sports, Online Social Gaming and Online Money Gaming" out of which 2/3rd segment (E-sports and Online Social Gaming) will be promoted and encouraged.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Vaishnaw said, "Online gaming is an important subject which has emerged as an important sector in the digital world. It has 3 segments - the first segment is e-sports, in which people form a team and play, learn coordination, and have strategic thinking. Our players have also won many medals. In this bill, e-sports will be promoted, an authority will be created for it and it will get legal recognition. The second is Online Social Games, which includes solitaire, chess, Sudoku, etc. In this bill, online social games will be promoted, encouraged and an authority will be created."
The Union Minister stated the third segment - 'Online Money Game' as has become "Public Health Risk."
He further said, "2/3rd segment of the entire world of online gaming is being promoted, but there is one such segment, 3rd online money games, due to which a big problem has arisen in society, especially among middle-class youth. It gets addicted and the family's savings are spent. It is estimated that 45 crore people are affected by it and more than Rs 20,000 crore has been destroyed in it. WHO has declared it a gaming disorder. Online money gaming has become a public health risk. Problems like psychological disorder, compulsive behaviour, and violent behaviour are arising from it. Many families have been destroyed due to it. This has become a huge problem. Its major aspect is money laundering, and its effects have also been seen in terrorist activities. There were efforts to stop this problem, but this problem kept on increasing."
Union Minister Vaishnaw also hit out at the opposition for creating a ruckus in the House while the Minister was moving the bill for passing.
He said, "From time to time many irregularities arise in the society, at such times it is the responsibility of the Government and the Parliament to take action against the irregularities and bring solutions which can stop these irregularities in the society. We all know that earlier, many families were getting destroyed due to chit funds. The Modi government dealt with the problem by bringing a law on it. Whenever the interests of the middle class and youth are discussed, PM Modi ji has always prioritised their interests, setting revenue and economy aside to focus on their needs. The same subject is before the Parliament today. If the Opposition works on this subject today, we also understand that they also talk about the interests of the middle class and the youth, but they are not concerned about this at all; they work only and only for their political objectives."
The bill's implementation is expected to have a significant impact on the online gaming industry in India, with potential benefits including, increased transparency, player protection and responsible gaming practices.