While the Tamil Nadu government works to regulate online gaming, the Esports Players Welfare Association (EPWA) has asked the government to differentiate between games of skill and gambling. In a recent submission to the government, the association requested that the state recognise skill games as a distinct sport separate from gambling.
The government should provide a safe haven for professional, amateur, and casual online skill gamers by exempting them from any state-related gambling or gaming legislation, according to the association’s representation. According to Shivani Jha, director of the EPWA, multiple laws and classifying skill-based games as gambling are leading to the criminalization of skill-based players.