Lok Sabha Question No. 627 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-06
Subject: Online Gambling
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Sangeeta Azad, Sanjeev Kumar Singari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 627

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 06.12.2023

## ONLINE GAMBLING

## 627. SHRIMATI SANGEETA AZAD: DR. SANJEEV KUMAR SINGARI:

Will the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology be pleased to state:-

(a)  whether  the  Government  is  cognizant  of  instances  where  individuals  have  resorted  to  suicide following financial losses in online gambling and reported harassment by companies in this sector;

(b) if so, the details thereof including the total number of suicides recorded in the past year under such circumstances;

(c)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  actions  by  issuing  notices  against  companies  engaged inonline gambling and illegal betting and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government has plans to enact stringent legislation aimed at preventing onlinegambling and illegal betting; and

(e) if so, the details thereof along with details of any proposed legislation in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR)

(a) to (e): The policies of the Government are aimed at ensuring that the Internet in Open, India is Safe & Trusted and Accountable to all Users.The Internet technology and Internet used to be seen as force for good, but in recent years, technology is also exploited for causing user harms and criminality. The number of Internet users in India are expected to increase from 88 crores today to 120 crore users by 2026.

Data related to crimes, including cybercrimes, are maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB),  based  on  data  reported  by  State  Police  and  other  law  enforcement  agencies.  As  per information  provided  by  NCRB,  no  specific  data  on  the  incident  of  suicides  after  losing  money  in online gambling and harassment by companies, is reported toor maintained by it. State- and Unionterritory-wise details of cases registered under the sub-category 'Abetment to suicide (online)'within the category of 'Cybercrimes' is at Annex.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) was allocated the matters related to online gaming on23 rd December,2022  through  amendments  to  the  Government  of  India  (Allocation  of  Business)  Rules, 1961. The Ministry, within a fortnight, prepared the draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2021 ('IT Rules, 2021') in exercise of the powers given under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and commenced public consultations  on  the  same  on  2 nd January, 2023.  After  extensive consultations with  relevant stakeholders  including  National  Commission  For  Protection  of  Child  Rights  (NCPCR),  children, teacher,  users  of  online  games,  online  gaming  companies,  other  concerned  Ministries,  etc.,  the amendment  to  the  IT  Rules,  2021  were  notified  on  6 th April  2023.  These  rules  enforce  greater accountability on online gaming and social media intermediaries in respect of online games to ensure an Open, Safe & Trusted and Accountable Internet for Users.

These rules layout a comprehensive regulatory framework for Online Gaming Eco-system and address the  twin  challenges  of  catalyzing  and  expanding  online  gaming  innovation  and  at  the  same  time protecting citizens from the potential risks and harms posed by the prohibited online games.Under the new rules, only permissible online games are allowed to be available on the Internet in India. To be verified and declared as permissible online real money game, such online real money game shall not involve  wagering  on  outcome,  information  causing  user  harm,  gaming  addiction,  financial  loss, financial  fraud,  etc.  These  rules  protect  citizens  from  illegal  wagering  by  prohibiting  those  online games  that  involve  wagering  on  outcome,  including  their  advertisements  or  any  type  of  presence online. The Government has zero tolerance towards any form of online games which involve wagering on outcome.

Further, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued an advisory, advising the print and electronic media to refrain from publishing advertisements of online betting platforms, and online and social  media,  including  online  advertisement  intermediaries  and  publishers,  not  to  display  such advertisements in India or target such advertisements towards Indian audience. The Ministry has also issued  an  advisory  to  all  private  satellite  television  channels  on  'Advertisements  on  Online  Games, Fantasy Sports, etc.', advising all broadcasters that the guidelines issued by the Advertising Standards Council of India be complied with and that the advertisements broadcast on television adhere to the same.

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## Annexure

## Cases registered under the sub-category 'Abetment of suicide', within the category 'cybercrimes'

| S. No.   | State/Union territory                    | 2019   |   2020 |   2021 |
|----------|------------------------------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh                           | 0      |      0 |      1 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh                        | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 3        | Assam                                    | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 4        | Bihar                                    | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh                             | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 6        | Goa                                      | 1      |      0 |      0 |
| 7        | Gujarat                                  | 2      |      2 |      2 |
| 8        | Haryana                                  | 0      |      2 |      0 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh                         | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 10       | Jharkhand                                | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 11       | Karnataka                                | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 12       | Kerala                                   | 0      |      0 |      1 |
| 13       | Madhya Pradesh                           | 0      |      2 |      3 |
| 14       | Maharashtra                              | 3      |      3 |      3 |
| 15       | Manipur                                  | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 16       | Meghalaya                                | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 17       | Mizoram                                  | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 18       | Nagaland                                 | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 19       | Odisha                                   | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 20       | Punjab                                   | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 21       | Rajasthan                                | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 22       | Sikkim                                   | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 23       | Tamil Nadu                               | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 24       | Telangana                                | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 25       | Tripura                                  | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 26       | Uttar Pradesh                            | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 27       | Uttarakhand                              | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 28       | West Bengal                              | 1      |      1 |      0 |
| 29       | Andaman and Nicobar Islands              | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 30       | Chandigarh                               | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 31       | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 32       | Delhi                                    | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 33       | Jammu and Kashmir                        | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 34       | Ladakh                                   |        |      0 |      0 |
| 35       | Lakshadweep                              | 0      |      0 |      0 |
| 36       | Puducherry                               | 0      |      0 |      0 |
|          | Total                                    | 7      |     10 |     10 |

Source:

National Crime Records Bureau

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