Online games to be governed by self regulatory organisations, wagering disallowed under new IT rules: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Under the notified rules, all online games would be determined as permissible or not by a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO), which would base its decision on the principles of whether wagering was involved. Games with wagering would be held to be impermissible, according to the SROs, and betting or wagering would fall afoul of the latest rules.

To ensure uniformity and certainty, there would be multiple SROs, Chandrasekhar said. He added that the new rules were not just focused on gaming but also on the issue of misinformation. The government had consulted with intermediaries on misinformation, and a fact-checking agency would be established to check content related to the government. Intermediaries that chose to continue to host red-flagged content would no longer enjoy Section 79 protection.

Chandrasekhar said that various startups had run afoul of different state regulations, and the notified rules would help bring about uniformity and certainty. The government was committed to ensuring that India's internet remained open and safe, trusted and accountable, and these new rules would help achieve that goal, he added.