Gaming: Meghalaya government announces that it will regulate the segment for revenue

The government of Meghalaya has announced that it will regulate the online gaming space in the state. Meghalaya taxation department of the state noted that anyone involved in this segment will require a license. The governing body confirmed that it has made this move to generate some revenue for the state government. James Sangma, the minister in-charge of Power in Meghalaya shared details about this move last week. As per the move, the government shared a draft ordinance in front of the cabinet for approval. Let’s check everything we know around the move from Meghalaya to regulate online gaming here.

Meghalaya plans to regulate online gaming, details

According to the information available, James Sangma also issued a statement to clarify the intentions behind the draft ordinance. Sangma added, “In order to regulate gaming within the state and to bring revenue to the state government, we felt it necessary to enact a law for the same and therefore the draft ordinance was placed in front of the cabinet for its approval.” The government noted that it has already received approvals from the law and finance departments. In addition to Sangma, the Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma also shared the information around this development on Twitter.

Just hours after the initial report about the draft ordinance, Sangma confirmed that the government has approved the draft. The Meghalaya government is calling it Sangma Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Ordinance, 2021. It also noted that any one part of the online gaming segment in the state will need to follow strict guidelines and rules. The government will closely monitor, regulate the online space on the market and even act against people or organizations not following the rules. Looking closely, the likely reason for this move is the increased popularity of the online gaming industry.

However, a number of users responded to the announcement on Twitter questioning the need for the ordinance. Some stated that there was no need to pass this draft as the gaming industry won’t require it. But it is likely that Meghalaya wants to ensure that it can prevent the damage that rogue and predatory gambling apps cause. There have been multiple instances where these gambling apps have mascaraed as gaming apps causing significant financial distress to casual players. We still don't have a list of rules and the exact type of games it plans to regulate.