Days after the central government imposed a blanket ban on online money games, major real-money gaming (RMG) platforms have moved swiftly to suspend their pay-to-play-to-win services and have signalled that they will not mount a legal fight challenging the prohibition.
Concerns over addiction and its social fallout have been cited by the Centre as a key factor in its decision to impose the ban on RMG services, alongside national security concerns related to money laundering, terror financing, and other illicit transactions flowing through RMG platforms.
“I think the ban on RMG apps is very important and necessary. Many people have lost money in online rummy and other real-money games, with Tamil Nadu alone reporting 20 to 30 suicides…