Introduction
The last decade has seen great leaps in mobile usage and
Internet penetration in India. A consequence of the ubiquity of
mobile devices and the Internet has been the wide adoption of
online games. Being still mostly unregulated, the online gaming
space has seen proliferation of games of chance as well as skill
based games. More importantly, 'real money gaming' has
exploded. The isolation imposed by COVID-19 has resulted in a
significant increase in the number of casual online gamers in
India.
Gambling in India is viewed with a negative connotation, even today, and real money
gambling is an emotive issue. This presents a unique regulatory
challenge – how to limit the 'ill effects' of online
gambling, without limiting games of skill and other legal
businesses.
