New Delhi, 14 December: Pahle India Foundation (PIF) appeals to the ‘GOM on Online Gaming’ ahead of its 1st meeting, to review existing Lottery Regulations as well. Pahle India Foundation (PIF) welcomes the Government of India’s decision to constitute a Group of Ministers (GOM) to review the regulatory framework for the Online Gaming Industry.

As the GoM meets for its first meeting on the 15th Dec under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Union Home Minister, PIF would like to appeal to the members of the GoM to also review the existing regulations on ‘Lottery’ and bring necessary reforms.

PIF has recently concluded a study titled ‘Lottery in India – A Study on Regulatory Framework and Potential for Social Funding’ where it has reviewed the existing regulations on Lottery in the country and has identified major gaps. PIF recommends an urgent review of the 25-year-old regulation in light of the increased internet penetration in India in the last few decades, and the absence of player protection and minimum age criterion in the existing rules. The offshore online lotteries operating outside the jurisdiction of the Indian regulatory apparatus pose significant challenges and demand urgent attention.

PIF has also done a comprehensive review of the operational processes and the financial models followed by the Indian States where a lottery is currently allowed and operational. In such states also, there is an urgent need for reforms to bring transparency using technology, and adopt best practices to ensure child safety and player protection.

PIF has also reviewed lottery ecosystems in countries like the UK and explored the sector’s potential for social funding in India. Pahle India Foundation is a New Delhi-based economic think tank founded by Dr Rajiv Kumar in 2013. Its motto is ‘Putting India First to Make India First’. PIF has done in-depth research on ‘Online Gaming’ as well as ‘Lottery’. Its reports ‘A Regulatory Framework for the Online Gaming Sector’ and ‘Lottery in India.