SHILLONG, April 21: Law and Taxation Minister, James PK Sangma said no resident of Meghalaya will be allowed to participate in legalised gambling, online gaming and online betting in the state.
Only people from outside the state will be allowed to take part but only after producing KYC documents, he said ahead of legalising gambling and online gaming and betting legal in Meghalaya.
The minister was reacting to concerns raised about the move “without any study done on the social and cultural consequences of legalised gambling and online betting in the state”.
The process for legalised gambling, online gaming and online betting had begun in February 2021 when the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Ordinance, 2021, was passed. It nullified the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970, effectively making gambling activities legal within the state.
This led to the framing of the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021.
“Based on licenses, people can operate games of skills and games of chances both online and offline,” Sangma said.
The minister said the move will help touristy Meghalaya earn GST revenue besides generating employment.
He clarified that the state government will only regulate and not run the games with the rules framed.
Meghalaya is the third state in the Northeast after Sikkim and Nagaland to make online gaming and gambling legal.
Pushing the agenda forward, Sangma had recently met representatives of the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) and several UK-based business houses to discuss the online gaming and sports betting landscape in the state and to launch the UKIBC’s industry report: Gaming for Growth – India’s Sports and Gaming Market Potential.
The UKIBC’s Gaming Industry Index found Meghalaya to be the most gaming-friendly state in India.
The index measures the extent to which each state has legalised gaming and betting based on their stance on seven different games – lottery, horse racing, sports betting, poker, rummy, casino, and fantasy sports.
Meghalaya scored 92.85 (on a scale of 0 to 100 where 100 is fully legalised) with licenses applicable in all seven games in both states.
