Nodwin gaming CEO urges tax relaxation from Indian government to boost esports growth
Indias esports sector is poised for a significant shift with growing government attention and global partnerships. At the India Gaming Show (IGS) 2025, hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), industry leaders met to explore new opportunities, innovations, and partnerships defining the future of gaming.
Nodwin Gaming: Pioneering Indias Esports Revolution
In an exclusive interview with SiGMA News, Gautam Virk, Co-Founder and COO of Nodwin Gaming, shared his observations on the development of Indias esports ecosystem, the taxation problem, and the necessity for a formal regulatory environment to differentiate between esports and real-money gaming (RMG).
With major partnerships with ESL and DreamHack, the company has positioned India on the global esports map. However, despite these advancements, esports professionals in India face steep taxation, with prize winnings taxed at 30 percent, discouraging participation and slowing down the industrys growth.
As India prepares for its first Esports Olympics in 2027, the government has begun recognising esports as a legitimate sporting discipline, but Virk insists that more needs to be done. He advocates for clear differentiation between esports and online gambling, emphasising the need for tax relief and subsidies similar to traditional sports.
SiGMA: Nodwin Gaming has been a key player in Indias esports ecosystem. How do you view Nodwins role in shaping the current esports landscape in India, and what are the key milestones for the company in the coming years?
Gautam Virk, Co-founder & CEO at Nodwin gaming: Nodwin is the oldest esports organisation in India and also the largest. Weve spent a lot of time shaping the Indian ecosystem, building it, and fixing it; from payment gateways to servers to game launches, weve done it all to run the biggest esports programme in the country.
Now, we are in a position where were expanding outside the country. Weve become a global player in the esports market, whether it be organising events for EWC or hosting events in Brazil or Indonesia; we have expanded globally, so we are now a global powerhouse. Our future now is becoming a truly global entity in esports.
SiGMA: The first esports Olympics is set to be held in 2027, and the Indian government has a cash initiative for esports players and coaches. Do you think these programmes help the Indian esports landscape nurture talent at the initial level?
Virk: Yes, it really helps. The main issue here is the fact that the government is still learning about esports. Theyre doing a lot of learning and growing. Having a centre of excellence would be key to developing a grassroots roadmap to host an esports championship in India.
Its not going to happen overnight. It will be a slow process, but Im happy to see that individual state governments have started to notice and understand what it is. Eventually, well get there, but now its too early for me to say.
SiGMA: Nodwin has formed partnerships with global brands like ESL and DreamHack. How do you approach partnerships, and what do you think international collaborations bring to Indian esports?
Virk: The biggest thing is that collaboration with international esports companies brings legitimacy to India. The fact that India exists as an esports country is also important. So, forming these partnerships is all about showing the world that India is ready to host these events and proving not only to Indians but also to the global market that India is ready. Hindi as a language is a key factor in the global viewership of esports. Indian esports Hindi broadcasts account for 30 percent of the viewership globally.
SiGMA: According to a Mint report, the Indian government is planning a single regulatory framework for Indias online gaming sector, replacing the inconsistent state-level laws currently governing it. How do you think uniform legislation for online gaming can change the sectors dynamics?
Virk: Well, the one thing I can expect from the government is recognition. More clarity there would greatly benefit the ecosystem for people to understand what esports is. Thats my only major takeaway from this. If the government takes it seriously, the word they use is gaming. Gaming is quite a broad term because game development, creative work, and animation all come under gaming.
Esports is like a small part of it, so when they say gaming, they also mean esports, and they can focus on it. Ill be quite happy to see the government putting more effort into legitimising the sport and eventually building grassroots-level programmes through the centre of excellence.
SiGMA: We are dealing with games of skill, but the government is taxing them at the same rate as games of chance. Are we likely to see any tax regulation changes for games of skill soon?
Virk: I hope we do see some relaxation on the taxes for esports. I hope that the government makes a very clear difference between what is esports and what is RMG; what is a game of chance, and what is a game of skill, because if you look at it from an overall perspective, its very easy to separate esports.
You can have a list of games under esports because its not like we have hundreds of esports games, but there are very few. Lets have a special section for esports games and give them tax relief and subsidies, whether they want to host their events or winnings.
Currently, if youre doing table tennis or badminton tournaments, the venues are heavily subsidised, but I must pay extra for an esports tournament. So, they should be brought under the same sports ministry.
SiGMA: Will we see any esports federations in India in the coming years?
Virk: That totally depends on our government. The country has plenty of federations now, but the government takes the final decision.
