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Let’s bust a few myths: gaming for real money is not gambling.

Since the beginning of time, people have enjoyed playing indoor games and gambling. From a cultural and sentimental perspective, gambling has long been seen as a vice and classified as unethical or illegal in Indian society. This is understandable, as research worldwide has shown that it can cause various personal behavioral and societal issues, including addiction to financial losses/debts, relationship problems, and health problems like gambling disorders. On the other side, it has been demonstrated that gaming is a positive and enjoyable skill that promotes creativity and social interaction. In recent years, gaming and gambling have become more “online” or “digital,” and they are steadily integrating into numerous ways. The expanding “spillover effects” in the gaming and gambling industries pose a fundamental issue: People struggle to distinguish between skill-based internet gaming and gambling. As a result, they’ve started to interchangeably employ the terms “gaming” and “gambling,” which is problematic. Unfortunately, a lot of industry insiders are even advocating that all real money games be declared banned because they resemble internet gambling in some way. Therefore, it’s imperative to dispel a few widespread myths about real-money gaming in India:

There is no distinction between gambling and real-money gaming.

The first components of real money games are chips or coins. To participate in the game, you must buy them. The individual can start playing the game after finishing the purchase. The cash you buy will have a monetary value, so if you win the game at the end, you will receive money that you may deposit into your bank account. However, if you lose the game, there will be no compensation, and you will lose all of your money.
Contrary to gambling, which involves putting something of worth (the stakes) at risk to win something of value, real money games are lawful. There is no gambling involved in these skill-based games. You’ll need a solid strategy to succeed at games with real money. Forming a team and defeating rival teams requires a potent approach. Understanding the distinction between a game of chance and skill is essential.

“Gaming is not a financially rewarding job.”

Some detractors assert that people cannot support themselves by gaming, although this is untrue in the contemporary world. There has been a rise in demand for lucrative, non-traditional employment during the past 20 years. There are several options available, one of which is a career in gaming, which is one of the primary causes of the increase. Who would have thought that creating games or even playing them could be a career for unusual jobs? Many mobile gaming competitions and real money games offer grand prizes and sums. According to a joint report by Sequoia India and BCG, The market for mobile gaming currently generates around $1.5 billion in revenue, and by 2025, it is anticipated to reach $5 billion.

Given that it has shown the aptitude and skill sets necessary to meet international gaming standards, India will soon be seen as one of the industry’s leaders. Gamers are progressively entering competitions to showcase their gaming prowess and to represent their nation internationally. Mobile gaming has enabled many Indian players and streamers to support themselves and mix their interests with their jobs.

“Only free-to-play gaming has the potential to succeed.”

In the upcoming years, there is a tonne of space for growth in India’s free-to-play gaming market. However, it should be noted that this is not the only sector in this domain that is anticipated to expand; fantasy esports and real-money games are two additional categories that, based on forecasts from many industries, are expected to grow significantly, if not more. – The KPMG analysis estimates that there are already 420 million casual or free-to-play players, 92 million casual users using RMG cards, and 60 million fantasy sports players using RMG cards. Recently, a lot of Indian entrepreneurs and inventors have started attempting to build online gaming platforms that are unique and unheard-of while simultaneously making them safe and customer-focused. Some also use big data to detect and forecast client behavior and playing patterns accurately, enabling businesses to maximize their potential.

The conclusion

It is undoubtedly the responsibility of all social actors, including the media, gamers, gaming enthusiasts, and gaming companies, to stop the conflation of skill-based gaming with gambling. If there was a clear and government-approved distinction between real money games and gambling, or chance-based games, gaming might not have faced as much criticism or ire as it does now due to the dangers associated with gambling.