Numerous online gaming websites might be barred by the Andhra government next, comprising of EA.com, MiniClip, as well as Zapak. Andhra Pradesh CM has asked Union Minister to block 132 websites in Andhra Pradesh, in arrears to the threats posed by online gambling websites. Nevertheless, in the letter sent by the CM to the minister of IT, there are more than a few websites that have naught to do anything with online gambling at all, containing EA.com which is one of the biggest and most well-known game makers in the world and is popularly known for its series of sports games such as FIFA and NHL, and other mobile games such as Bejeweled and SimCity.
Since the 1st Chinese application ban, the government has so far debarred 224 applications on the grounds of national security. Now the Chief Minister of AP in his letter has asked for the ban of 132 websites arguing that online gambling should too be excluded as it can lead to the youth getting involved in things such as gambling and betting within their homes, via their smartphones and PC.
It is a matter of some hullabaloo, as many of the applications in the list from the Chief Minister are defined in countless parts of India as skilled games and not games based on chance, and consequently aren’t seen as gambling. Yet, this is not the case for the Indian state, which as noted in the letter has amended the Andhra Pradesh Gambling Act of 1974, to take in online gaming, online gambling, and online gambling as a felony, which was informed this September.
Here, it’s significant to make a note that these things in the CM’s letter don’t appear to define playing multiplayer games such as Among Us, or even competitive online games such as Fortnite. This is deceptive as the letter also describes that while gambling or betting in the normal form can be easily recognized, whereas online gambling and betting stays indefinable.
At the same time, multiple websites on the list have nothing to do with online betting, and it suggests that the list needs to be analyzed more prudently. Websites such as EA.com and a link to Epic Games through a 3rd party application store for Android hardly look similar to the profile of online gambling.
The chief objective of this act is to prohibit online gaming, online gambling, and online betting, and in the letter, the Chief Minister has requested that Union Minister for Information and Technology RS Prasad ban admittance to 132 websites that empower online gambling from the citizens of Andhra Pradesh.
Still, while the list includes a number of online betting sites and “fantasy sports” platforms together with Mobile Premier League and Paytm 1st Games, it leaves out many others that are based on a similar concept. It further leaves out many of the other real money gaming applications which feature games such as Rummy and Poker and has an option of betting with real money.
On a wider front, companies like Google and Apple both have policies against gaming on their application stores, and they keep real-money gaming applications off their stores just like Paytm 1st Games was eliminated and reinstated only 2 weeks later, afterward there was an option to add real money which was then removed. Though, in other Indian states, these applications and websites remain lawful and are hugely efficacious.
