Few Bills in India have been passed with such alacrity and swiftness as the recent Gaming Bill banning all online games.
There has been absolutely no resistance whatsoever to the decision.
This, despite the fact that gaming companies contribute around 200 billion rupees annually in taxes which is approximately around 0.8 percent of India’s tax receipts. It doesn’t seem to be a pragmatic decision from an economic point of view, right?
Those in favour of gaming argue that it involves skill. Cigarettes and alcohol are also dangerous. The stock market is also a gamble. Why then is gaming being exclusively targeted, they argue.
The genesis lies in our culture. Hindu children grow up listening to the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
In the Mahabharata, it is clearly mentioned that Dharmaraja lost everything he had including his wife and brothers while playing ‘dice’ with the Kauravas.
Unfortunately, it is nowhere mentioned that he contracted cancer from smoking cigarettes or alcohol was the reason for his troubles.
Hence the vehement opposition to gambling in India and why the government could get the Bill passed without any problem at all.