Issue Raised during LA Zero Hour, CM Sawant Promises Action
Using the Goa Legislative Assembly Zero Hour procedure on Friday, July 22, Congress LA member Sankalp Amonkar raised the issue of addictions and excessive losses of money by young Goans caused by online gaming and gambling and urged the state government to ban such activities. Answering his plea, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the Assembly that action would be taken.
“Many governments have banned it and hence the Goa government should also ban online Rummy circle gaming,” MLA Amonkar urged. “Rummy, Three cards, pokers, etc are dangerous. These are easily accessible for youths. They are addicted to these games. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Orissa, Nagaland have banned online gambling,” he added.
“One can start playing these games at Rs 5 to range of Rs 10,000. Even one can extend limit above Rs 40,000 per day. It is a complete scam. Government is not monitoring it,” Mr. Amonkar stressed and pointed out that it is young unemployed citizens and college students that most commonly became the victims of online gaming and gambling.
“One of my close friends’ son lost rupees five lakhs in just three months. It is very dangerous,” he said.
Answering to MLA Amonkar, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said he would take note of the issue and assured the House his government would take action on online gaming and gambling. “I will take action on it,” the CM said.
Blanket Ban or Regulatory Legislation Can Achieve the Aim to Monitor Online Gaming and Gambling?
While the concrete nature of the line of action promised by the Chief Minister remains unclear, the gaming ban that MLA Sankalp Amonkar was urging to be implemented could hardly be expected to achieve the aim to monitor online gaming and gambling activities and curb the associated risks. As the experience of many countries around the world has shown, sensible legislation regulating online gaming space is the way to provide governments with control over the sector and ensure a safe gaming environment for citizens.
Industry data reveals that Goa online casinos have two times higher traffic than the population of the state would suggest when compared to average traction figures for the whole of India. Implementing a blanket ban on gaming in the state would be equal to turning a blind eye to the issue of societal costs because players would still be able to find ways to engage in games and gamble over the internet.
To be truly able to monitor online gaming and gambling, and to have a satisfactory level of control over it, the Goan government needs an approach similar to the one adopted towards the land- and water-based casinos in the state, and that is regulation and a Gaming Commissioner in charge of enforcing the rules.
Instead of going for an outright prohibition on all varieties of online gaming which will have a doubtful effect and can be challenged in court and share the fate of the blanket gaming bans in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu which were struck down as violative of the Union Constitution, Goa can examine the regulatory frameworks of countries such as the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, France and many others and take the best and most suitable ideas for its own legislation.
Measures such a player self-exclusion system, responsible gaming buttons, daily, weekly or monthly spending limits, bans on gaming on credit, fast-play modes or loyalty programs, rules and restrictions concerning advertising and marketing, Aadhaar card-based age restriction mechanisms, and other such regulations can drastically lower the social costs of gaming while adding tax revenue sources for the state exchequer.
Providing Goans with the opportunity to play on regulated and safe gaming and gambling options will limit the demand for black market outlets where no customer protection is available. This would be a much more viable strategy than the government washing their hands by implementing a blanket ban that will send anyone who wishes to play in the realm of illegal bookies and sites.
Unlike the Goan ruling class, the Central Government has realized the positive potential of regulation and recently appointed an inter-ministerial panel mandated to study global best practices in the field, consult experts and stakeholders, and devise a broad framework of laws to regulate gaming in India.