Fantasy sports industry expert, IndiaTech and Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) has stated that the Indian fantasy network should now be acknowledged 'as a game of skill' and it should rightly be different from other online games.
India is considered as one of the top markets in online gaming and the country has seen a massive hike in the consumers in a very short period of time. As things stand, gaming in India is modulated by the states and only allows the games of skills and chance gambling to run through the users.
Note that the fine line between the two is established by mental or physical skill, or chance or luck. It's up to the states to decide which game falls under which category, and the result of this has seen the likes of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Assam, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh banning all real money games online.
On Friday, during a webinar to discuss the draft guidelines for online fantasy sports, Rameesh Kailasam, CEO, IndiaTech, said that the acknowledgement of online fantasy sports as a 'game of skill' might prove to a be a step in the right direction.
"Such an effort would enable both the Centre and States to work in the direction of enabling this sunrise sector which is currently dependent on various court judgements for legitimacy to distinguish itself," said Kailasam.
Shwetasree Majumdar, Fidus Law Chambers, said, "I believe, it is time that we see a necessary shift away from viewing fantasy sports as an exception to betting and gambling, to eliminate the extant ambiguity that the operators encounter at the state level," said Majumdar.
Bimal Julka, Chairman, FIFS, added, “The emergence of multiple sports and leagues coupled with rapid improvement in digital infrastructure is witnessing many sports tech innovations. Fantasy sports has the potential to grow sports in India both - depth and breadth."
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Sajjad Hussain
