This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan are joined by economist and author Vivek Kaul and sports journalist Sharda Ugra. 

The episode opens with a discussion on the recently enacted Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which seeks to promote e-sports, regulate digital platforms, and ban real-money games. Abhinandan asks Vivek if he views online gaming as gambling or not. 

Vivek replies, “Even if you argue that it’s a game of skill – that you need to know the players, their performance, the pitch, the weather, and so on – the real question is whether people are actually treating it as a game of skill.”

He further cites the government’s data, pointing out that 45 crore people are playing these games. With so many participants, he argued, it’s no longer a game of skill but has essentially turned into a game of chance.

Discussing the Indian cricket team's jersey, Sharda notes that it is probably the most expensive real estate an advertiser can buy.  “But notice the kind of companies that were stepping in – new-age firms like FinTech or EdTech players trying to build credibility and public recognition. Big, established corporates weren’t lining up for it,” she says. 

She adds that  it was everyone who was trying to give their brand and their company a certain respectability. “The cricket team jersey is the easiest way to do it.” 

Adding to the discussion, Jayashree says, “For me, this [the Bill] is like wearing a helmet. You can argue that if people don’t want to wear one and risk dying, that’s their choice. But it’s really not; there’s a law that enforces helmet use for a reason. Similarly, you need a bit of legal paternalism here, at least to keep things in check.”

The conversation then shifts to the recent US tariffs and their impact on the Indian economy. Responding to Abhinandan’s question on the media coverage of the issue, Vivek explains: “The media is right when it says  it's the Americans who will pay that tariff. But what they’re not telling the Indian audience is that our exports to the US, which are their imports, can easily be sourced from other countries instead.”

Raman points out that campaigns promoting Swadeshi products have started in India to cope with the tariffs.

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