NEW DELHI: With the Tamil Nadu government taking an increasingly hard line on online gambling, The Online Rummy Federation (TORF) has stated that it welcomes the move to regulate the sector. At the same time, it wants to ensure that any new regulation is not prohibitive and builds in protections for consumers and operations of legitimate operators.
The statement comes in the wake of additional advocate general Sricharan Rangarajan informing the Madurai Bench of the Madras high court that the state government was actively considering regulating the online skill gaming sector.
“The government is worried about the recent suicide reports related to online gaming. These recent events are of grave concern to TORF and its members. Over the last two years, TORF members have taken extraordinary and voluntary steps to self-regulate and give players the tools to play responsibly,” the federation said in a press note.
The key areas of consideration will include: KYC verification; minimum age; player protection requirements; mandatory responsible playing features like setting daily monthly limits, self-exclusion etc; advertising guidelines; no BOTS on sites; SSL level encryption; and other such requirements to ensure player experience is safe, fair and enables responsible gaming.
The federation added, “We strongly feel that the government should regulate this sector to ensure only legitimate, legal operators who follow strict protocols are allowed to operate and a clear distinction drawn from those who try and operate above the law. Tens of thousands of players from Tamil Nadu enjoy playing online rummy safely and responsibly. Effective regulation will let the vast majority of the players who play responsibly continue to enjoy the game, protect the players that are vulnerable, and lead to substantial additional revenues for the government.”
It also suggested that the government of Tamil Nadu should set up a committee to review, discuss and propose a regulatory framework for games of skill, similar to Nagaland and Sikkim. A discussion for a proposal to regulate this industry can address many concerns including the following key points: setting time and monetary limits for players on a daily/weekly/monthly basis; stronger KYC checks and social profiling of users to ensure that players are financially stable adults; strict advertising standards to promote gaming as entertainment and not a way to earn money; an annual license fee and a player support contribution to help vulnerable players.
“TORF is committed to providing its full support to the government in creating a safe and responsible gaming industry. We have already made an official representation to the chief minister to kindly consider regulating the sector as a win-win solution,” promised CEO Sameer Barde.
