Uniform Regulations
Recently, certain Indian states have banned ‘online gaming’. Since there’s no regulatory framework, fantasy sports are often treated as online games. As a result, this ban affects them too. However, the fact is that unlike gaming, fantasy sports are entirely dependent on the outcome of real-world sporting events. To this end, the NITI Aayog report distinguishes fantasy sports from online games.
As different states have different laws governing OFS platforms in India, the report points out that this may result in “inconsistent experience” for users and might prevent sports fans from actively engaging in fantasy sports.
While batting for creation of a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for fantasy sports, the guidelines say, “A single self-regulatory organisation for the fantasy sports industry should be recognised by the Government. Such self-regulatory body should be a single-purpose fantasy sports industry body and have a membership of OFSP operators…
