Centre's Framework On Online Gaming — Three Types Of Games Will Not Be Allowed In The Country

According to Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Centre has planned to ban three types of games in the country — those that involve betting, that are harmful to the user in any way, and that are addictive.

He also affirmed that the government has prepared a framework on the issue of religious conversion through online gaming.

Chandrasekhar emphasised the formation of self-regulatory organisations (SROs) that will approve permissible games within 90 days from the date of regulation notification.

According to him, the SROs are necessary bodies to regulate the gaming industry.

The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology also revealed that the government would regulate artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies. He stated that this regulation would come from the point of view of the harm that such technologies could inflict on users.

He reassured the public that AI will not pose a threat to employment in the next few years. However, he did mention that job losses due to AI development may become a reality after the next five to seven years.

"Our approach towards AI or any regulation is that we will regulate it through the prism of user harm. This is a new philosophy, which has started since 2014 that we will protect digital nagriks (citizens). We will not allow platforms harming digital nagriks. If they operate here, then they will mitigate user harm," Chandrasekhar said.