BENGALURU: With the aim of safeguarding the interests of over 50 crore Indian gamers, three gaming industry bodies—the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), and the E-Gaming Federation (EGF)—have jointly adopted a code of ethics (CoE).
This CoE will apply to all online gaming operators who are members of the federations and offer skill-based real-money gaming services in India.
The gaming industry bodies pointed out that key principles of the CoE include responsible gaming practices such as age gating, no operations in restricted states, and robust KYC mechanisms. It also includes safeguarding data, appropriate management of player funds, fair gaming practices, and providing clear and accurate information to players, enabling them to make well-informed decisions with options to self-exclude and set limits.
This CoE also supports vulnerable players by providing them tools and resources for identifying and assisting at-risk players, in addition to ethical advertising and promotions.
These practices have been adopted by gaming operators at a time when there is an increase in unethical gambling operators.
Anuraag Saxena, CEO of EGF, said, “National interest, consumer interest, and the industry’s interest have all suffered for too long. Unethical gambling operators have been parasitically harming the nation, its exchequer, and its people."
He added that the adoption of these standards reinforces their commitment to accountability through third-party audits, responsible gaming policies, and ethical business practices.
Roland Landers, CEO of the All India Gaming Federation, said that through collaboration with other industry federations, they are setting new benchmarks for ethical gaming, strengthening the credibility of the country’s online gaming sector, and building a sustainable, globally competitive ecosystem.
The AIGF, which is the oldest industry body for online gaming and represents over 120 gaming companies, has a combined member user base of over 40 crore and a member valuation exceeding $10 billion.
The signing of the CoE follows a joint MoU signed by the three federations with ASCI to address the growing concern over illegal betting and gambling advertisements by offshore entities.
Gaming operators with an annual revenue of Rs 100 crore or more will have to implement the Code within six months from the date of signing, while those with annual revenues below Rs 100 crore will have nine months to comply.
The Code will be reviewed annually to assess its effectiveness and identify areas for improvement, the industry bodies said.