Parliament passes online gaming bill, Ashwini Vaishnaw says legislation takes a balanced approach

New Delhi [India], August 22 (ANI): Parliament on Thursday passed 'The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill' with the Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stating that the bill encourages e-sports and online social games while prohibiting harmful online money gaming services, advertisements, and financial transactions related to them.

He slammed the opposition parties for disrupting proceedings over their demand for discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar. Rajya Sabha passed the bill on Thursday after it was passed by Lok Sabha a day earlier.

"We have always been ready for discussion. The Opposition doesn't believe in democracy and the Constitution. Attacking constitutional institutions, bypassing democratic processes and disrupting the house has become the policy of the Opposition," he said.

"The Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. I thank the PM for making decisions for the welfare of middle-class families. We have been reading media reports of tragedies in middle-class families due to addiction to online money gaming," he added.

The Union Minister explained that there are three aspects of the bill - "e-sports, online social gaming and online money gaming" out of which two-thirds of the segment (e-sports and Online Social Gaming) will be promoted and encouraged.

"Online gaming is an important subject which has emerged as an important sector in the digital world. It has 3 segments - the first segment is e-sports, in which people form a team and play, learn coordination, have strategic thinking. Our players have also won many medals. In this bill, e-sports will be promoted, an authority will be created for it and it will get legal recognition. The second is online social games which includes solitaire, chess, soduku, etc. In this bill, online social games will be promoted, encouraged and an authority will be created," the minister said in Rajya Sabha

The Union Minister stated the third segment - 'Online Money Game' has become "Public Health Risk."

"Two-thirds segment of the entire world of online gaming is being promoted, but there is one such segment, online money games, due to which a big problem has arisen in the society, especially in the middle class youth. They gets addicted and the family's savings are spent. It is estimated that 45 crore people are affected by it and more than Rs 20,000 crore has been destroyed in it. Online money gaming has become a public health risk. Problems like psychological disorder, compulsive behaviour, violent behaviour are arising from it. Many families have been destroyed due to it. This has become a huge problem. Its major aspect is money laundering and its effect have also been seen in terror activities. There were efforts to stop this problem but this problem kept on increasing," he said.

"We all know that earlier, many families were getting destroyed due to chit funds. The Modi government dealt with the problem by bringing a law on it. Whenever the interest of the middle class and youth is discussed, PM Modiji has always talked about the interest of the middle class and youth," he said.

Ashwini Vaishnaw also explained the provisions of the bill in a post on X.

"The Bill takes a balanced approach - promoting what's good, prohibiting what's harmful for middle-class and youth," he said. (ANI)

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