With 200,000 posts at risk, the industry bodies are doing AMIT Shah to reconsider online game ban

New Delhi: Three major online game industry bodies have written to the government and requested to withdraw its proposed blanket ban on fantasy sports, online rummy, poker and other real money games. They warned that the move would wipe out a legal sector that employed thousands and attracted billions of investments. The letter, which was addressed to the Home Secretary on Tuesday and written by the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), Dream11-backed Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (Figf), was written by GamesKraft-supported Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (EGF), claims that a prohibition of a death. Mint saw a copy of the letter. AIGF CEO Roland Landers said the sector was valued at more than £ 2 billion and generated £ 31,000 crore in revenue from FY25 while paying £ 20,000 in direct and indirect taxes. He added that India had 500 million people who used online game services from the past financial year, and until mid-2022 Startups attracted foreign investment over £ 25,000. “Thousands of startups, engineers and content creators rely on this ecosystem. The proposed ban would not only kill these opportunities, but also deter investment and investor sentiment, destroy more than 200,000 jobs and lead to 400 businesses closing,” Lander said. The setback comes a day after the Union Cabinet approved a bill to ban online real game platforms. The promotion and regulation of online game account, 2025, is submitted to parliament today. If passed, operators may face up to three years in prison or fines of up to £ 10 Lakh. The bill seeks a complete ban on the operation of online games that require users to play with real money, as well as criminals and financial fines for those who make payments on such programs, including banks, and those who advertise their services. Considering public figures such as athletes and actors have over time appeared as ambassadors for people like Dream11, Gameskraft’s Rummyculture, Games24x7’s My11Circle, and more. Inquiries sent to Dream11 first received answers to the per -time. Gameskraft and Games24x7 who operate rummyculture and my11circle respectively also did not respond to requests for comment. In FY24, the top four Startups – Porta Technologies (Dream11), Gameskraft, Games24x7 and Galactus Funware (Mobile Premier League) – reported almost £ 13,000 in collective income. From FY24, the online game industry collectively paid $ 948m (£ 8,258 crore), according to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. From October 2023, the tariff for goods and services (GST) on real money matches was increased to 28%, which companies have already pushed the growth. In March this year, when the Supreme Court began the game industry, the cumulative retrospective GST question from the sector was nearly £ 2 trillion for six financial years between FY17 and FY22. In the midst of this, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MHA), on Monday, spread a bill that claimed that the online game industry led to the spread of money laundering and financial fraud operations, and also affected the mental health of people. “Individuals have become the victim of financial losses … sometimes lead to extreme outcomes. Players are attracted to a cycle with little awareness of risks or legal protection. These platforms regularly use predator -moneting tactics … and reward systems designed to utilize psychological cut to increase spending,” the bill said. Mint saw a copy of the bill. A senior lawyer who is closely related to the letter from the industry to the Minister of Home Affairs told Mint that “the industry is probably still staring at a sudden and unfair end.” ‘Unless the bill is recommended for a selected or standing committee in parliament, there is little hope that any profession be implemented. India’s online game sector will come to an end, and there was little to no consultation in the industry -something that gave the government’s answers, and a chance for the startups to work closely, ‘the lawyer added.