It’s not at all surprising that online gaming is acting as a vaccine for fighting against issues like anger, anxiety, depression, etc., during the time of such a pandemic, when the whole world is facing difficulty in developing an appropriate vaccine to combat against the menace of COVID 19 outbreak. If we drive our attention towards the state or condition of mental health an individual is carrying within him, we may encounter and in particular, be surprised as to how this online gaming and fantasy sports is succoring them to be confident and positive enough to stand strong with family and the country in keeping them motivated. 

 

As the world started shifting towards technological and software advancement, the craze and need of people as regards online gaming keeps on rising and its roots started to shoot in every family of India irrespective of age, caste and language. The youth of the country were the main and strong segment of the society which was struck by the rising trend of online gaming more particularly fantasy sports.

 

Fantasy Sports landscape in India has witnessed a significant transformation since its launch nearly two decades ago. Some of the prominent players of this sector are Dream 11, My Team 11, etc.                                                                                               What is fantasy sports?

 

Fantasy sports are online prediction games where you can create a virtual team of real sports players. An individual playing the game on points based on real life statistics that are converted into fantasy points.

Are fantasy sports legal in India?

This is the main question that was always on the minds of people who not only played fantasy sports for entertainment but also for generating a handsome amount of income from this sector. According to Indian laws, fantasy sports are legal and allowed in all parts of India except states like Assam, Orissa and Telangana, but there are many online games which consist of gambling and betting which is considered illegal in India and as an unlawful activity according to our Indian constitution.

 

The legitimacy of an online game is exposed to whether the game qualifies as ‘Game of Skill’ or ‘Game of Chance’ fall under gambling and are restricted by State gambling laws. In India, we have separate laws that distinguish between gambling and fantasy sports. That law is ‘The Public Gambling Act 1867’ which consists of 18 sections. Section 12 of this Act states that nothing in the provisions of this Act contained should be held to apply to any game of mere skill, wherever played which simply means fantasy sports are part of skill based games with tremendous use in the growth of fantasy sports. It is also obvious that the emergence of conflict and challenges will also pop up in the functioning of fantasy sports. In the view of the series of conflict and confusion on fantasy sports. One of the prominent cases in the light of fantasy sports was brought before the High Court of Bombay that was of Gurdeep Singh Sachar Vs Union of India. After the proceedings, The Honourable Court saw no reason to take a view different from that taken by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana in the Varun Gumber case. The Court also observed that, unlike betting, winning or losing in fantasy sports was not dependent on any team winning or losing in the real world. As a result of the judgement, Gurdeep Singh had filed a proceeding against the decision in the Supreme Court. The Honourable Supreme Court of India on 6th March 2020 stayed the operation of judgement of the Honourable Bombay High court in the case of Gurdeep Singh Vs Union of India. This case doubted the legality of online sports in India. Court held in the case that Dream 11 is a game of skill judgement and discretion and hands legally.

 

Moving to the negative sides of online gaming, like any compulsive disorder, online gaming addiction can have serious negative consequences as well, if it becomes a kind of addiction it can often lead to a long time repercussion if not treated or controlled properly. For example, someone addicted to online gaming will probably avoid sleep or even a proper meal in order to continue gaming. Even excess involvement in online gaming and fantasy sports may lead an individual in an isolation state and his desire to get along with people nearby will decrease. To overcome this addiction and encourage a healthy lifestyle proper measures should be adopted as early as possible to drive an individual towards his goal of success.

 

There is no doubt that online gaming and fantasy sports attack both the positive as well as negative aspects of society but if the concerned subject is utilized in a proper and controlled manner, it cannot only develop positive human being but it will also benefit in boosting the economy of our country.