The Amendment Regulations prescribe procedures for verification of online real cash games. It is provided therein that that MeitY may notify several SRBs or ‘online gaming self-regulatory bodies’ for verifying an ‘online real money game’ as a ‘permis definitelysible online real money video game’. In this regard, the Amendment Rules further give the designation of SRBs in India and set out certain additional requirements in relation to online games and online real money game titles. Rules establish self-regulatory bodies (SROs) to verify online gaming intermediaries as permissible online games. However, it assures the body will represent various stakeholders and not be industry biased. People with knowledge in the field, like experts in mental health, industry representatives, individuals coping with child rights and others.
Online and app-based video games are also encouraged to consider obtaining and dwill beplaying Pan European Game Information (PEGI) ratings. PEGI ratings provide consumers with the information they need to make informed choices about what their children play. The ratings also use parental controls on video game consoles to allow parents to manage their young children’s access to age-appropriate games.
The Video Standards Council Rating Board has set out a series of best practice recommendations for free games platforms, which are available on their website. Ratings may be obtained for online games via PEGI itself or via the International Age Ratings Coalition (IARC). IARC offers games companies a streamlined process for obtaining PEGI age ratings for online games by filling in an online questionnaire. According to the guidelines, online games must register with a self-regulatory body, and only games that have been registered and identified by the body will be able to operate lawfully in India. The regulations also stipulate that online gaming intermediaries must do further due diligence and provide user protections. Further here we will understand the overall impact of these rules on safety of players, government revenue, increase in number of users and quality of grievances.
These rules and regulation are extremely fulfilling, but there are specific factors that ought to in addition be added in these regulations. The rules should more specifically define which kind of games is going to be within the online games and be governed by these rules including the differentiation between games of skill and games of chance. The rules should provide harsh steps that needs to be taken against addictive and financially risky games. They should provide guidelines to safeguard children by imposing appropriate guidelines and protocols for your user to join up to have an online game.
Currently, players who participate in unregulated or offshore online gaming sites have little recourse should they experience issues such as fraud or disputes while using site related to deposit or withdrawal of these money. In this draught of regulations, the adoption of clear standards and norms for that operation of online gaming sites, as well as systems for resolving disputes and addressing player complaints, are recommended as possible solutions. According to the regulations, every online gaming intermediary has to be equipped with a Grievance Redressal Mechanism and a Grievance officer to be able to effectively address and resolve the concerns and complaints of their users. In addition, every self-regulatory body is needed to establish a mechanism for the time-bound resolution of such user complaints which may have not been resolved or addressed with the grievance redressal device of its affiliated online gaming intermediary. This method should be competent to address concerns that have not been handled within the reasonable timeframe. This could give players greater confidence inside the fairness and integrity of the online gaming industry, and can lead to increase the amount of members participating in these activities drastically.
Leave a Reply