Esports officially recognised in India by the government as part of multi-sports events

The Indian government has officially recognised esports. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has now added Esports in the “multisports event” category in India. Esports has also been added to the “matters relating to online gaming” section under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). 

This is a monumental landmark for esports in the country as official recognition will further promote and accelerate the growth of this sector in India. Check out the official statement below and find the complete statement in the Gazette of India. 

Esports recognised by Indian government

Most recently, the Indian government also announced that there would be no plans to limit the time spent on online gaming, unlike China which limits the time spent by underage gamers (under 18) to three hours per week. 

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology was asked by MPs Vishnu Dutt Sharma and Bhagirath Chaudhary about liming the time spent by gamers in India. Chandrasekhar elaborated that the government knows about the risks and challenges of online gaming. However, the government has implemented rules that require intermediaries to prevent the spread of harmful information as well as comply with the rules and laws. 

 

 

"We welcome this announcement by our government under the leadership of Hon'ble PM Modi ji, which will open new avenues to pour in more investment opportunities in this booming industry. From now onwards, we will have to build the proper infrastructure, training facilities and coaching for our young esports athletes," said Lokesh Suji, Director of Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF).

He added, "Only a short time until we see Esports being placed in the same league as cricket, football, basketball, etc. and having similar fan power, scale and craze."

Currently, the Indian government is deliberating upon the regulation of online gaming in India. There was a task force set to look into this matter. This task force was told to differentiate and categorize games of skill and chance-based games involving the use of real money. Earlier, the idea was to only regulate skill-based gaming. Intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office resulted in the idea of a central regulatory body that overlooks all forms of online gaming.