Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, stated in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, February 8, that there should be a central law to regulate online gaming and gambling and the same can be enacted if there is a consensus with the states.

Speaking on the development, Rohit Pawar supported the idea through a Tweet saying, “It is a welcome development that the central government has shown its readiness to legislate on online gaming and gambling if there is a consensus among the states. The young generation is getting trapped in this and it is dangerous. States also need to cooperate with the Center in this regard.”

The Union Minister argued that since there is no such thing as a “state boundary” in the digital realm there is a need for a national law to control online gaming and gambling in the country.

“Already, 19 states and Union territories have passed their own laws. Seventeen states have actually amended the Public Gambling Act, 1867, and introduced the online gambling elements within the act,” Vaishnaw said.

Vaishnaw also answered a series of questions asked by the House members regarding several related topics including whether there is a proposal to bring any strict legislation to prevent online gambling and illegal betting. The Union Minister explained by saying that Article 162 mandates that the States have executive authority over subjects pertaining to betting and gambling.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) member T. Sumathy agreed with the minister that there should be agreement with state governments on the matter. He drew Vaishnaw’s attention to the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill 2022, which the TN assembly passed last year but has not been assented to by the Governor RN Ravi yet.