The Goods and Services Tax Council of India, which includes the country’s top federal and state ministers, has approved an indirect 28% tax on online gaming, casinos, and horse racing. According to TechCrunch.

Online gaming is comma-separated from casinos for the reason that fantasy sports are very popular in India. The applications devoted to it are positioned as regular games and yet allow you to bet real money.

The developers of such applications reject accusations that such business is not cybersports but gambling. Their key argument is that in fantasy sports, winning is determined not by luck, but by the skills of the user.

Indian ministers see their first priority as removing this loophole. They believe that it should not make any difference to the law whether it is a game of skill or a game of chance.

That said, fantasy sports, according to TechCrunch, is one of the fastest-growing IT businesses in India. The niche-leading startup Dream Sport alone is valued at $8 billion.

The introduction of the tax will destroy the entire Indian gaming industry and lead to job losses. The only people who will benefit will be the anti-national illegal offshore platforms.

Roland Landers, executive director of the All India Gaming Federation

The full article can be found on TechCrunch’s website

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