Pune: India’s gaming industry has reached a new milestone with the launch of the quantitative method for classifying online real-money games based on skill.
The Skill Games Framework, titled "An Objective Framework to Determine Permissible Online Real Money Games," was developed by Padma Shri Professor (Dr.) Bimal Roy, a renowned statistician, in collaboration with The Dialogue.
The initiative was created with input from industry experts, legal professionals, game developers, and gamers, ensuring a comprehensive and collaborative approach. Prior to this development, India lacked an industry-wide standard to differentiate between games of skill and games of chance.
Professor Bimal Roy, a leading expert in statistics and cryptology, is the former Chairman of the National Statistical Commission and former Director of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). His extensive experience in data analysis has played a key role in shaping this framework.
"As online gaming continues to evolve, regulatory clarity is crucial," said Professor Roy. "The framework provides a solid foundation for the future of gaming regulation in India, ensuring fairness for all stakeholders, from players to developers."
The core of Roy’s framework includes three key tests to determine the role of skill in game outcomes:
Persistence of Skill: Evaluates whether top players consistently outperform others over time, indicating a reliance on skill.
Experience Gap: Assesses whether experienced players regularly achieve better results, demonstrating the importance of skill.
Exemplary Skill: Highlights individuals with exceptional performance, underscoring the role of skill in success.
These tests are backed by advanced statistical tools such as the Chi-Square Test and Pearson Correlation Test. The framework uses real-world data to ensure accuracy and adaptability across different gaming formats.
Kazim Rizvi, Founding Director of The Dialogue, says, "This data-driven approach will help regulators and developers distinguish between skill-based and chance-based games, offering clear guidelines that protect players’ interests and promote fair competition."
The Skill Games Framework aims to ensure that only skill-based games are legally permitted, supporting the integrity of the market and ensuring that players can engage in legitimate gaming experiences.
Kriti Singh, Chief of Staff and Programme Manager of Gaming Policy at The Dialogue, emphasized that the framework has three key objectives: to extend current legal interpretations by providing a quantitative method for distinguishing between games of skill and chance, to differentiate legitimate platforms from fraudulent ones, and to establish an industry standard that fosters trust and credibility in the sector.