National: In a significant development, the online gaming industry today signed a voluntary ‘Code of Ethics for Online Gaming Industries’ at the Indian Gaming Convention (IGC), organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and co-powered by the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) and the E-Gaming Federation (EGF). The voluntary Code of Ethics, curated by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), was signed by the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports, the E-Gaming Federation and the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF). It will serve as a ‘Joint Declaration of Intent’ by the signatories to commit to building a safe, trusted, and accountable digital gaming industry with a focus on user protection.
The event witnessed thought-provoking sessions where industry leaders discussed public policy imperatives, regulatory frameworks, and the role of the online gaming industry in fuelling digital India’s growth. In the inaugural session, leading consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY) launched an independent report titled ‘New Frontiers: Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Online Gaming Industry. The report highlights the growth potential and charts the future outlook for the industry.
“We at IAMAI are happy to have curated the Voluntary Code of Ethics for Online Gaming Intermediaries, which has been signed by four industry bodies representing the digital gaming sector in India. This is a progressive step towards building a transparent and accountable gaming ecosystem with a focus on consumer protection,” said Dr. Subho Ray, President, IAMAI.
Mr. Joy Bhattacharjya, Director General, FIFS, said, “With close to 50 crore actively engaged users, India’s gaming industry is a sunrise sector. The ‘Code of Ethics’ for Online Gaming intermediaries reinforces the industry’s commitment towards growing the sector, contributing to the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of becoming a $1 trillion Digital economy and creating a safe, trusted and accountable gaming ecosystem.”
Mr. Anuraag Saxena, CEO EGF, said, “The online skill gaming industry is making great strides in contributing to India’s digital economy. Seeing the sector proliferating with new-age technologies, trends, and consumer and investor interests driving innovation is encouraging. The year 2023 has been eventful for the sector, and the immediate imperative is the implementation of proposed IT rules by establishing the SRBs with regulatory oversight. We believe that these rules will play a crucial role in creating a safe and transparent gaming ecosystem while harnessing the potential of the sector for greater economic benefits.”
Mr. Roland Landers, CEO, AIGF, said, “India’s online gaming industry has grown phenomenally so far and the next level of growth is highly dependent on a well-defined regulatory framework. We are committed to building a responsible and ethical industry which puts a strong focus on educating players about gaming responsibly, implementing self-checks and self-exclusion among other things. At AIGF, we strongly believe in balancing growth and innovation with safeguards for the protection of users, and we believe this Code of Ethics will go a long way towards our existing efforts towards the same.”
Through sessions on pertinent issues such as ‘Building a Robust National Regulatory Framework for Online Gaming’, industry stakeholders engaged in dialogues highlighting the industry’s collective acknowledgement of the need for clear and comprehensive regulations.
A report titled ‘Regulatory Roadmap for Online Real Money Gaming,’ by Parinam Law Associates, offered critical recommendations for a regulatory framework that balances the interests of all stakeholders, ensuring responsible growth in the online gaming industry in India.
Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Honourable Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, also addressed the IGC through a written message. In his message, he emphasised the importance of the Online Gaming industry. He said, “I would like to reiterate and reaffirm that the Government of India considers online gaming as an important part of our $1 Trillion Digital Economy Goal.”
He added, “Our approach is to catalyse the startup and innovation ecosystem while ensuring the safety of gamers including children, and unambiguously prohibiting games promoting wagering, addiction and user harm.”
Among key speakers at the IGC were Shri Priyank Kharge, Hon’ble Minister, Information Technology and Biotechnology, and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Government of Karnataka; Shri Jayesh Ranjan (IAS), Principal Secretary for Information and Technology, Electronics & Communications, and Industries & Commerce Departments, Government of Telangana; Mr. Harsh Jain, CEO & Co-founder, Dream11 and Dream Sports, and Chairman, IAMAI; Dr. Trivikraman Thampy, Co-founder, Games24x7; Dr. Gulshan Rai, Former National Cyber Security Coordinator, Prime Minister’s Office, Government of India; Mr. Kapil Rathee, Co-founder & President, Junglee Games; Mr. Aditya Swamy, Country Director, Google Pay; Mr. Kshitij Seth, MD, ChrysCapital; Mr. Sudhir Kamath, COO, Nazara Technologies; Ms. Salone Sehgal, Founding General Partner, Lumikai; Mr. Joy Bhattacharjya, Director General, FIFS; Mr. Anuraag Saxena, CEO, EGF; Ms. Ishita Grover, Director Marketing, OnePlus India; Dr. Shubhashis Gangopadhyay, Research Director, IDF; Mr. Chandrashekhar Naik, Sr. Vice President, Valueleaf, and Mr. Vineet Singh, Founder & CEO, Castler. International experts Ms Sarah Ramanauskas, a player safety expert from the UK, co-founder of The Game Safety Institute, and Mr Jean Major, a former Canadian regulator currently on the Board of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission, also joined the conference.
The conference was supported by the Information Technology, Electronics & Communications (IT&C), Government of Telangana and the Department of Electronics, IT, BT and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka. Valueleaf was the Platinum Partner, Oneplus India was the Session Partner, and Castler was the Escrow Banking Partner of the IGC.
About Internet and Mobile Association of India
Established in 2004, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a not-for-profit industry body and the country’s only organization representing the digital services industry with over 500 Indian and multinational corporations as its members, which include established companies in diverse sectors of the digital ecosystem as well as start-ups. It is dedicated to presenting a unified voice of the businesses it represents to the government, investors, consumers, and other stakeholders. IAMAI represents varied sectors such as digital payments, fintech, digital commerce, digital advertising, digital entertainment, traveltech, online gaming, edtech, healthtech, agritech, big data, ML, AI & IoT, AR/ VR, logistics tech, D2C, EV, VC, gift cards and so on.
