The Indian government has made a monumental announcement on recognizing esports in the country. Esports will be considered in the "multisports event" category in India and will come under the Ministry of Youth Affairs. Similarly, sports and a section related to "matters relating to online gaming" is also added under the Ministry.
The Cabinet Secretariat saw the inclusion of "esports" under the sub-heading Department of Sports under, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The notification was sent on December 23rd, 2022 marked on memo No: S.O.6062(E). This step will be crucial towards regularizing an industry which can bring in billions of dollars every year in terms of investments and expenditures.
As per an IMRAC report, the Indian esports market is expected to witness a compound annual growth rate of 21.1% during 2023-2028. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major catalyst for the increasing demand for Esports because of the temporary restrictions on outdoor sporting activities during the lockdown across the nation.
Talking about how this decision is for the country’s Esports community, Lokesh Suji, Director of the Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF) said, “Great news for us to begin the New Year. We have been constantly working on establishing the difference between esports and iGaming, and finally, our efforts have been fulfilled.
“We welcome this announcement by our government under the leadership of Hon’ble PM Modi ji, which will open new avenues to pour in more investment opportunities in this booming industry. From now onwards, we will have to build the proper infrastructure, training facilities and coaching for our young esports athletes. Only a short time until we see Esports being placed in the same league as cricket, football, basketball, etc. and having similar fan power, scale and craze.”