The Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (TNOGA) has released its regulations for the real-money gaming (RMG) industry. TNOGA has previously advocated for measures to curb addiction among young people playing pay-to-play games. Federations representing the RMG industry now plan to challenge these regulations in court.
According to the order copy obtained by Storyboard18, the Chairperson of TNOGA states that all minors under the age of 18 will be prohibited from playing online real-money games. In addition to AADHAAR verification, online game providers must display pop-up caution messages when a player plays continuously for more than one hour. These caution messages should appear every 30 minutes, informing players of their total playtime.
“All online game providers must offer features to set daily, weekly, and monthly monetary limits for each player. Whenever money is deposited, a pop-up message should display the player’s set monetary limit and the amount spent so far, in reasonably bold letters.”
Caution messages must also be continuously displayed on the login pages of real-money gaming websites and apps, warning users about the addictive nature of these games with the statement: “ONLINE GAMING IS ADDICTIVE IN NATURE.”
Jay Sayta, Technology & Gaming Lawyer, commented: “The regulations for online real-money games issued by TNOGA are difficult for operators to implement in just one state. The provision enforcing blank hours from 12 AM to 5 AM seems somewhat arbitrary, especially considering that appropriate warnings and deposit limits are already mandated.
Since the exact daily, weekly, and monthly deposit limits are not specified, each operator is responsible for setting their own, which could lead to inconsistencies across companies.
The biggest challenge, however, may be implementing these regulations in only one state, given the potential for varying regulations across different states in the future. It is crucial to establish nationwide guidelines or a unified framework for RMG platforms.”
Sources from the RMG industry told Storyboard18 that the order from TNOGA will be challenged in the court of law.