Don’t See Difference Between State and Centre Interpretations, Wagering Still Prohibited Under Gaming Rules: EGF’s Malay Kumar Shukla

"We don’t really see a difference in interpretation when you look at the state gambling laws [which rely on distinctions between games of chance and skill] and the IT Ministry’s provisions in this regard," said the E-Gaming Federation's (EGF) Secretary Malay Kumar Shukla in conversation with MediaNama, when asked about the government's decision to do away with distinctions between games of skill and chance in its newly-notified online gaming rules. "Wagering on an outcome would mean wagering on something on which the person does not have any control—that continues to remain prohibited, as it was in the past, under the gambling laws." The online gaming rules have raised as many questions as they've answered. While the industry has largely celebrated them, questions on the rules' legality, approach to legalising games, and classification of gaming companies as 'intermediaries' remain under-answered in company press releases. Speaking to MediaNama's G. Aarathi, Shukla clarified the advocacy body's stance on some of these issues, while discussing the ideal road ahead for the industry. The E-Gaming Federation's members include Games 24x7, Junglee Games, and Head Digital Works. It has also developed "responsible gaming" standards for member companies to follow. Shukla added that EGF members are in the process of separately forming an online gaming self-regulatory body (SRB) under the rules, and that progress will be seen on this front "very soon". MediaNama: Just to kick things off, what were the major pain points facing the industry and how do the rules solve them? Malay Kumar Shukla: There are two key things [to…