Latest news with #TamilNaduProhibitionofOnlineGamblingandRegulationofOnlineGamesAct
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Madras HC upholds Tamil Nadu's restrictions on real money games
The Madras High Court on Tuesday upheld the Tamil Nadu online gaming authority's restrictions on real money games, including a ban on gameplay between midnight and 5 am, and mandatory Aadhaar verification, rejecting legal challenges by gaming companies. The development follows a February petition where companies challenged regulations that required mandatory KYC verification, Aadhaar authentication and restricted hours of gameplay. These restrictions were imposed under Sections 5(2) and 14(1)(c) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022.A division bench comprising Justices SM Subramaniam and K Rajasekar ruled that the State has the authority to make laws on online gaming under Entry 6 (public health and sanitation) and Entry 26 (trade and commerce within the State) of the State List in the Constitution, which covers matters exclusively under states' jurisdiction. In their arguments, Head Digital Works Pvt. Ltd., which develops online games of skill in India, and two other gaming companies, Junglee Games India Pvt Ltd, and WinZO, insisted that the current restrictions based on time, age and monetary factors are unconstitutional. Code of ethics and regulatory framework In March, ET reported that real money gaming industry bodies All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), E-Gaming Federation (EGF) and Federation of Indian fantasy Sports (FIFS), jointly came up with a 'code of ethics' encouraging responsible gaming practices. The gaming industry bodies include companies such as Dream11, My11Circle, Khelo Fantasy Live, SG11 Fantasy, WinZO, Games24X7, Junglee Games etc. The code of ethics had provisions similar to the curbs placed by the Tamil Nadu the new GST regime, the real-money gaming (RMG) industry faces a 28% GST levy on the deposits made by players on these platforms. Last September, India's top GST investigation agency, the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), stated that the real money gaming sector topped the list of tax evasion, with dues to the tune of Rs 1.1 lakh crore. The agency issued show cause notices to 34 entities and took action against 118 Indian and 658 foreign companies. Trends shaping the RMG sector In FY22-23, India's largest RMG platform, Dream11, recorded gross gaming revenue of Rs 7,167 crore. Of this, Rs 976 crore was spent as promotional credits to players. There are close to 568 million users of online games in India, and nearly 25% of them are pay-and-play customers. In fiscal year 2023, the RMG segment in online gaming was estimated to be a $2 billion business. According to the latest EY-FICCI report, Esports and casual gaming grew to Rs 5,300 crore in 2024, and is projected to reach Rs 6,300 crore in 2025 and Rs 8,300 crore in 2026.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Madras HC upholds Tamil Nadu's restrictions on real money games
The Madras High Court on Tuesday upheld the Tamil Nadu online gaming authority 's restrictions on real money games , including a ban on gameplay between midnight and 5 am, and mandatory Aadhaar verification, rejecting legal challenges by gaming companies. The development follows a February petition where companies challenged regulations that required mandatory KYC verification, Aadhaar authentication and restricted hours of gameplay. These restrictions were imposed under Sections 5(2) and 14(1)(c) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022. A division bench comprising Justices SM Subramaniam and K Rajasekar ruled that the State has the authority to make laws on online gaming under Entry 6 (public health and sanitation) and Entry 26 (trade and commerce within the State) of the State List in the Constitution, which covers matters exclusively under states' jurisdiction. In their arguments, Head Digital Works Pvt. Ltd., which develops online games of skill in India, and two other gaming companies, Junglee Games India Pvt Ltd, and WinZO, insisted that the current restrictions based on time, age and monetary factors are unconstitutional. Code of ethics and regulatory framework Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories In March, ET reported that real money gaming industry bodies All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), E-Gaming Federation (EGF) and Federation of Indian fantasy Sports (FIFS), jointly came up with a 'code of ethics' encouraging responsible gaming practices. The gaming industry bodies include companies such as Dream11, My11Circle, Khelo Fantasy Live, SG11 Fantasy, WinZO, Games24X7, Junglee Games etc. The code of ethics had provisions similar to the curbs placed by the Tamil Nadu government. Under the new GST regime, the real-money gaming (RMG) industry faces a 28% GST levy on the deposits made by players on these platforms. Last September , India's top GST investigation agency, the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), stated that the real money gaming sector topped the list of tax evasion, with dues to the tune of Rs 1.1 lakh crore. The agency issued show cause notices to 34 entities and took action against 118 Indian and 658 foreign companies. Trends shaping the RMG sector In FY22-23, India's largest RMG platform, Dream11, recorded gross gaming revenue of Rs 7,167 crore. Of this, Rs 976 crore was spent as promotional credits to players. There are close to 568 million users of online games in India, and nearly 25% of them are pay-and-play customers. In fiscal year 2023, the RMG segment in online gaming was estimated to be a $2 billion business. According to the latest EY-FICCI report, Esports and casual gaming grew to Rs 5,300 crore in 2024, and is projected to reach Rs 6,300 crore in 2025 and Rs 8,300 crore in 2026.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Online betting apps flout TN regulations at will; case awaiting Madras HC verdict
Representative image CHENNAI: Several online real money gaming apps , including top fantasy cricket platforms, are openly flouting Tamil Nadu govt's regulations designed to curb addictive betting behaviour among children and youths. A TOI check revealed that two top fantasy cricket platforms continued to operate beyond midnight, showed no pop-ups during play hours, nor displayed any warning messages. Users could easily create teams and enter betting rooms during restricted hours as violations have surfaced even as a division bench of Madras high court has reserved its verdict on appeals filed by the gaming apps challenging a single judge order in favour of the state's online gaming law and repeated violations, the state so far only issued notices to erring platforms without filing formal complaints. The Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (TNOGA) regulations — notified under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022 — continue to remain in force. While the court excluded online rummy and poker, citing them as skill-based games, it upheld the rest of the provisions being violated include a blanket ban on login and gaming between midnight and 5am, mandatory display of awareness pop-ups every 30 minutes, warnings on login pages and limits on monetary contacted, TNOGA chairperson M D Nasimuddin told TOI that the authority had issued notices to 25 firms, including major fantasy apps, urging them to comply with regulations. 'If they don't, we will write to the Union ministry of electronics and IT (MeitY) to ban them in Tamil Nadu,' he said, adding that rain-truncated IPL matches and super overs go beyond the restricted hours, and this could be a reason why these apps operate after midnight.'But this doesn't exempt them from following rules. Even Aadhaar-based OTP systems to prevent bots are being bypassed,' he said. He pointed to the govt's internal analysis showing negligible odds of winning. 'We have experts who play for our study purposes. The chances of the majority of people winning is very low. We have also received two complaints from people, one involving substantial financial loss,' he said.A regular player told TOI that these apps mislead users through celebrity endorsements promising huge wins for as little as Rs 49 for entry per team. In these gaming apps, gamers bet on players to choose those performing well in the team so that they end up winning.'But most never even enter the top 1,000 rankings and end up losing money. There are no caps on how many teams a person can enter with, giving an edge to those who can afford more entries. It becomes a game of who can spend more,' Nasimuddin said, adding that those who can spend more can afford to pick uncapped players, who are greenhorns.'But if these players play, those who picked them could win.'Two state-conducted surveys — one with more than two lakh students and teachers and another crowd-sourced — revealed alarming trends. More than 70% of teachers reported diminished concentration, creativity and writing skills in students. A majority also noted increased aggression, eye defects and declining the legal front, the public appears overwhelmingly in favour of regulation. Of the 10,735 emails the govt received during consultations, 10,708 (more than 99%) supported a complete ban on online said they are studying the legal framework to get them banned.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Court reserves orders on pleas filed by online gaming platforms
Chennai: Madras high court has reserved its verdict on a batch of appeals filed by online gaming platforms against a single judge order upholding Tamil Nadu govt's online gaming regulations . The cases were heard by a division bench comprising Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice K Rajasekar. All parties submitted written arguments, following which the court decided to reserve its judgment on Tuesday. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai The legal challenge pertains to the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, enacted in 2022, which aims to govern the conduct of online games in the state. State govt formalised the rules under this Act and published them in the official gazette on Feb 14. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Among the petitioners are Play Games 24x7 Private Limited, Head Digital Works, and the Esports Players Welfare Association. They contested the mandatory Aadhaar verification requirement for users and the rule prohibiting gameplay between midnight and 5am, citing concerns over privacy and operational restrictions.
