India: Meghalaya state approves online gaming ordinance

Addressing media persons after a Cabinet meeting, cabinet minister James K. Sangma announced last week that they have approved the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Ordinance, 2021, which is aimed at regulating online gaming.

Sangma said gaming today has emerged as one of the most popular pastimes globally and Meghalaya is no exception, and the decision was also taken after taking the views of the law and finance departments.

"In order to regulate gaming within the state and to bring revenue to the state government, we felt it necessary to enact a law for the same, and therefore, the cabinet has approved the draft ordinance," he said.

"Online gaming is an industry which is quite a big industry in the entire world and today in Meghalaya it is going on and unfortunately we don’t have a regulatory mechanism but it is something already going on, so we have to have measures to regulate that," he added.

Sangma further informed that anyone who wants to partake in this industry will have to get the necessary license from the state government. "…we will have an agreement with them when we issue them licenses and they will have to follow strict guidelines and rules. If anyone does not conform to these rules, we will take action against them," he concluded.