The third North-eastern state to legalize online gaming for money looks forward to becoming a hotspot for investments into the industry. Foreign businesses welcome the move and say the new legal framework will bring prosperity to the region.
A Premier Gambling Destination
Authorities in Shillong are consistent in their efforts to make the state of Meghalaya a hub for regulated gambling and betting, local media reports reveal. A year ago lawmakers introduced a new Gaming Ordinance which effectively canceled the Prevention of Gambling Act from four decades earlier and made all gambling based on state territory legal under certain provisions.
Notably, Meghalaya is the third state in the North-east (after Nagaland and Sikkim) to legalize online gaming and gambling, hoping to tap into the potential of this sunrise digital sector. The rules for both offline and online gaming activities were published in December of 2021 and how the local tech industry is preparing the ground for incoming investments from both Indian and foreign gaming companies.
Putting all sports betting, casino gambling and Indian online lottery under local regulation has been the prerogative of States for decades under current federal laws. The desi gaming industry has had a hard time setting skill and chance games apart when played for money or other prizes.
But the North-east has taken the matter in their hands, following in the footsteps of Goa, and authorizing gambling subject to a licensing procedure from the government. The Law and Taxation Minister PK Sangma stressed the decision at a meeting with the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) and other UK businesses experienced in online gaming and sports betting.
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Regulation Brings Economic and Social Benefits
The public event launched the UKIBC industry report “Gaming for Growth – India’s Sports and Gaming Market Potential”. Based on in-depth considerations of domestic market metrics, the business ecosystem, legal and socio-political factors, the paper elaborates a Gaming Industry Index ranking India’s most gaming-friendly states.
Meghalaya has topped the list, given that it has legalized gambling and betting for all major real-money gaming groups – lottery, sports betting, horse racing, poker, casino, rummy and fantasy sports. Shillong’s 92.85 is not far off the perfect 100 score, namely because a license regime has been designed and applied across the board for the gaming industry.
Such a progressive stance is important because it provides a clear planning and execution perspective for both desi and offshore gaming businesses. The UKIBC accounted for the foreign investment, jobs, tax revenues and overall growth that similar regulation has brought to developed markets elsewhere.
What’s more, transparent gaming laws always decrease corruption, ensure the integrity of sports and other gaming-related events and extend benefits to the tourism and services sectors. Gaming regulation also raises the bar for legitimate companies in the industry, providing protection to consumers and introducing responsible gaming practices, UKIBC experts point out.
Similar growth and stability was already evoked by the Law Commission’s 2018 recommendations calling for the legalization of real-money gaming on a national level. Sports betting has been touted as a possible test segment by some analysts albeit only unofficially. One thing is certain – the growing number of States choosing to regulate their gambling scene is not likely to go unnoticed by Delhi policy makers, one way or another.
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