CHENNAI: After garnering input from the stakeholders and members of the public, the Tamil Nadu government will come out with a foolproof legislation, which is legally tenable to regulate online games, said official sources.
This comes after the State government held a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday. Top officials, including Law Minister S Reghupathy, Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, Home Secretary K Phanindra Reddy, Director General of Police S Sylendra Babu, Greater Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal and Law Secretary B Karthikeyan, took part in the meeting.
It is said that the government got input from members of the public, parents, teachers, students, youth, psychologists, social activists, think-tanks and online gaming service providers on the proposed legislation to regulate online games.
While a total ban on all online games could be a challenge, it is learnt that the government may look into age and time restrictions so that the games don’t become addictive. It was found that 70% of online games are for entertainment while 10 to 15% involve money. The move to have curbs on online games came up after 20 suicides were reported across Tamil Nadu in the past three years due to online gaming with stakes.
Unlike the usual games, online games are programmed and manipulated by the developer.
While online games can be banned, the major challenge would be the lack of control over the internet. As a result, the focus will be more on a mechanism to control them. The State is looking at either regulating the companies or the players involved in gaming. Social pressure could be brought on the players.
PMK seeks an end to gambling in State
Chennai: The PMK, on Thursday, expressed hope that the Tamil Nadu government will put an end to online gambling. The party’s statement came following a consultative meeting convened and chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin to explore the possibility of imposing a ban on online gambling. In a series of tweets, PMK founder S Ramadoss said the State government should promulgate an ordinance after getting the approval of the cabinet and put an end to online gambling.