The Indian government is looking to place online gaming services and advertisements under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This will enable the government to regulate the content that is being shared on these gaming platforms. Here are all the relevant details.

Regulation for online gaming-related content and advertising

The Indian President, Draupadi Murmu, has issued a notification stating that films and audio-visual content from online content providers/publishers will now fall under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in the Second Schedule of Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961. This move will bring content and advertisements from online gaming platforms under the jurisdiction of the I&B Ministry, giving the government the authority to regulate policies related to these gaming services.

Why is the Government making these changes?

This isn’t the first attempt by the government to rein in the online gaming sector. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) amended the IT Rules, 2021, back in April 2023 to help regulate online real money games that involve money being wagered to play. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also had a similar stance on online gaming and issued an advisory warning.

The Ministry issued a warning due to advertisements and promotional content of gambling websites appearing in mainstream English and Hindi newspapers. Since 2018, the I&B Ministry has been regulating online media related to real money games, but this shift will enable the Centre to establish new rules for more effective change.