Games people play: Should online gaming and gambling be banned or regulated?
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Karnataka government banned online gambling a fortnight ago. It is not the first government to ban online betting. In 1981, President Marcos of the Philippines banned video games. The Philippines also banned live streaming of online games in April this year. The governments have been accused of interfering with the lives of people. They were driven by the need to protect ordinary citizens. Some states banned all kinds of gambling. Others maintained the fine difference between game of chance and game on skill. All states were concerned about the public safety. China was not happy with this. There were concerns that the live streams of these games were choking the internet.
Telangana is working on a policy to allow online gaming with safeguards. The Philippines came back to allowing online games. Regulators are a step behind technology. It would be interesting to see how society evolves to create a safe environment for online game players. There are civil-society pressures that build up every time there is a suicide due to online gambling.
Dr Jaijit Bhattacharya is President of Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research.
