E-Gaming Federation appoints Aruna Sharma, Satish Mathur on advisory board

Not-for-profit organisation, E-Gaming Federation (EGF), which represents online gaming operators in India, has recently appointed Aruna Sharma, former secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT, and Satish Mathur, former director general of police, Maharashtra, on its advisory panel.

They will advise the federation on responsible gaming, global best practices for player protection, and bring about regulatory clarity in the e-gaming industry. This move comes as part of EGFs efforts to build a safe, responsible, fair, and transparent environment in which the players can enjoy gaming responsibly whilst helping the industry to grow.

Mathur, the federation said, will help curb online fraud and keep the online gaming ecosystem secure. He has worked against cyber crime and that will help them form a security framework and a code of conduct. Sharma’s expertise will be in formulating policies that will help it in developing robust policy frameworks and combating challenges in the online gaming space.

Sameer Barde, CEO of the federation said, “The Indian online gaming industry is going through an exciting phase, and there could not have been better timing to add two of the brightest minds to our team. Both Sharma and Mathur come with complementary skills and deep expertise in policy making and consumer protection. We are confident that their addition will bring immense value to the organization and burgeoning online gaming industry in India.”

Sharma said, “Their concerted efforts to bolster the online gaming sector in India are noteworthy and inspiring. While the governments, both at the center and state, are actively taking steps to regulate the sector, an effective approach to streamline the process is paramount. I look forward to taking on this new role and synergizing our efforts to work towards a common goal of regulating and facilitating growth in the sector and in developing the world’s best-in-class standards to not just protect the players but also bringing in the advantage of gaming as a learning tool and India becoming a lead story.”

Mathur said, “The Indian online gaming sector is entering the next chapter of its growth journey and there is a huge opportunity for us to make a difference. I am impressed by the efforts it is taking to develop operating standards for the smooth functioning of the online gaming ecosystem while promoting responsible gaming. I look forward to strengthening the overall strategy with my experience and support the sunrise sector in taking a step towards robust regulation with effective responsible gaming elements.”

According to a report by EY, ‘online gaming in India – the GST conundrum’, the market size and estimated growth numbers hint a steady growth trend wherein global online gaming revenue is estimated to grow from about $38 billion in 2019 to about $122 billion by 2025. On similar lines, the domestic market for online gaming is estimated to grow from $906 million in 2019 to over $2 billion in 2023 representing a CAGR of 22% approx.

It said the domestic industry has the potential to scale quickly and become a meaningful contributor. Digitizing the gaming industry has led to tapping into an otherwise unorganised sector and brought more accountability.