K. Madhavan, the country manager for Disney Star and the president of the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation, has sought for clarification on the distinction between gaming and gambling.

In an interview with Livemint, when asked about the losses of the ad industry due to the ban on advertising of betting and gambling firms Madhavan replied that they have lost a significant amount of revenue during the T20 World Cup 2022 as a result. He also pointed out that the entire betting and gambling policy is unclear.

According to Madhavan, the matter should be dealt with by the central government and a central legislation should be in place. Every state has a different policy, and every other business is requesting injunctions in High Courts and the Supreme Court. The Centre should define what constitutes gaming and gambling and take this away from the states.

Madhavan claimed that no one has the idea what gaming constitutes at present. He said that it should be made clear so that it’s easy to understand by all the stakeholders which will also benefit both broadcasters and regulators.

Madhavan said that currently, only 3% of TV viewing in India comes from sports broadcasts, compared to 10% in the US and the total advertising revenue generated by sports is less than $1 billion. He believes that in the next three to four years, this may increase to $3 billion, but only if the conditions are appropriate for growth which is what everyone wants.

There has been a lack of consistency among several states in deciding whether a particular game is a game of skill and or a game of chance. For example, states have different definitions for rummy and most consider it as a game of chance, despite the Supreme Court stating otherwise.