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Gaming and Tax - Implications of M&A in The Online Gaming Sector
Gaming and Tax - Implications of M&A in The Online Gaming Sector
In India.....................................................................................................................................1
Tax on winnings from online games...................................................................................2
Example of online gaming tax............................................................................................2
Basis of revenue collection and their changeability............................................................2
Comparison of current and proposed provisions on online gaming taxation.....................3
Brief:...................................................................................................................................6
I. Income Tax Act...............................................................................................................6
II. Equalization Levy...........................................................................................................7
III.Goods and Services Tax................................................................................................7
Foreign Direct Investment & Foreign Technology Collaborations in Gaming Industry.......8
Restrictions under Exchange Control Regulations.............................................................9
CURRENT TAX REGIME...................................................................................................9
PROPOSED TAX ON ONLINE GAMING.........................................................................10
Explosive Growth in Gaming is Powering Consolidation..................................................10
Analysis on the Impact of Tencent’s Acquisition of Riot Game......................................10
Why are companies buying into gaming?........................................................................11
Philippine Law......................................................................................................................11
Brief..................................................................................................................................16
Recent developments.......................................................................................................17
Application for tax treaty relief..........................................................................................18
In India
The online gaming industry in India has seen massive growth in the last ten years and is
expected to grow to $5 billion by 2025. The use of online gaming platforms, including card
gaming platforms, battlegrounds, sporting games, and quizzes, has resulted in offering real
money to its players.
Recently, the three bodies of the online gaming industry, namely, the E-Gaming Federation
(EGF), Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), and All India Gaming Federation (AIGF),
approached the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to reconsider TDS regime changes
that have been effective from 1st April 2023.
Presently, online gaming organisations charge 30% TDS on any winnings drawn by a user
above Rs.10,000 per transaction. The threshold of Rs.10,000 is still in place as of 1st April
2023, but now the taxation will depend on the annual income of the game user.
As per Finance Bill 2023, Sections 115BBJ and 194BA have been introduced to tax the user's
winnings on different gaming platforms.
● Under Section 115 BBJ, income tax would be charged on net winnings for the
previous fiscal year at a rate of 30%.
● Section 194BA mainly deals with TDS applicable on net winnings in the user's
gaming account at the end of the fiscal year. So, your net winnings from online
gaming platforms at the end of a fiscal year would be taxed at 30%.
The introduction of these sections suggests that in the coming days, TDS might also be
applicable on winnings below Rs.10,000.
Suppose you have paid Rs.1,000 as an entry fee to enter an online game and won Rs.40,000
from that. In such a case, the gaming firm will deduct your TDS on Rs. 39,000 (Rs. 40,000 -
Rs. 1,000) at 30%. Therefore, you will have to pay a tax of Rs. 11,700, which will get
deposited to the government and the remaining balance of Rs. 27,300 will be credited into
your account as your income from the win.
The government has proposed to levy a GST of 28% on the Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR)
of online gaming. As per the latest reports, 18% GST is charged simply on the CEA, but the
proposed rate is higher. According to the co-founder of Winzo Games, Saumya Singh
Rathore, the online gaming industry has the potential to become a big part of the Indian
economy, but enforcing 28% GST will untimely hold back this sector.
Different online gaming platforms such as Ludo Empire, Dream 11 and others provide a
chance to win real money for players. This income is taxable under the heading of 'Income
from other sources' under Sections 115BBJ and 194BA. A flat rate of 30% gets charged
without the inclusion of any threshold.
Winnings from different gaming tournaments are also charged under Sections 115BBJ and
194BA, as discussed above.
Any real money received as a joining or referral bonus is not taxable under the mentioned
sections. It is taxable on a net basis as per the slab rate applicable for individuals. No tax will
be payable if the earned income is below the maximum chargeable tax amount.
*Note: The taxable rate and applicable Sections may change per the proposed provisions of
online game taxations.
Winning in kind Before releasing innings, the The online gaming platform
payer must ensure that taxes must ensure taxes get paid
get paid on them. on net winnings before
releasing them.
Rate of income tax on such 30%* 30%*
winnings
Brief:
The imposition of tax on online games is mandatory, irrespective of the amount you win. The
rapid growth of the online gaming industry is compelling the Indian government to bring
changes in tax rates, GST and applicable thresholds.
However, the changes proposed on GST rates can negatively impact the growth of the Indian
gaming sector, as a 28% GST levied can discourage players. But as this industry is rapidly
growing at both Indian and global levels, we can only hope that the Indian government will
take action to boost this sector and impose fair GST and tax rates on the participants.
Tax Gaming operatorsshould consider the impact of a number of tax implicationsthat could
apply to their India offerings. These largely fall within three buckets (as enumerated below):
I. Income Tax Act
In 2020, a new levy was introduced on overseas e-commerce operators that were receiving
consideration for e-commerce supply or services made/provided/facilitated by the e-
commerce operator to specified persons (including Indian residents). The equalization levy is
applicable at the rate of 2%, and overseas operators that are subject to the levy, are offered a
corresponding exemption from the application of income taxes under the ITA.
GSTis an indirect tax levied on the supply of goods orservices. With respectto the products
offered by gaming operators, a number of classification issues exist with respect to the
characterization of gaming products as an 'actionable claim' (included within the definition of
‘goods’ and taxable only when related to lottery, betting or gambling; and not otherwise), or
as a service, both of which imply separate rates and tax bases.
Another major issue faced by the operators in the gaming industry is with respect to the tax
rate and tax base determination. The classification as gambling (i.e., games of chance) vs
non-gambling (i.e., games of skill) is relevant here too as gambling is identified as a service
chargeable to tax at 28% (along with gambling-related actionable claims that are chargeable
to tax at the same rate), whereas non-gambling activities are chargeable to tax at the rate of
18%. Secondly, in the case of actionable claims, the entire stake value/bet value is deemed to
be the ‘good’ and thus, the entire bet value is chargeable to tax. However, for gambling and
non-gambling services, on the other hand, the tax base is restricted to the service fee charged
by the operator. Thus, classification as an actionable claim (i.e., a good), or as a service
continues to be a nuanced and important determination.
At the moment, there is also an ongoing deliberation at the level of the Group of Ministers, as
to whether (a) GST should be charged at the rate of 28% on both,skill gaming and chance
gaming, (b) whether the tax base should be the entire amount which a player deposits for a
game.This is currently undecided, and reports suggest that the ministers are seeking legal
opinions on the issue. Depending on the kind of products the operator is offering the
implications of the above may change based on the manner in which such products are
offered.
Under the Foreign Direct Investment Policy (“FDI Policy”) of India issued by the Ministry of
Commerce & Industry, Government of India, and as codified into law by the FEMA and the
Foreign Exchange Management (Non- Debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 (“Non-Debt Rules”),
Foreign Direct Investment (“FDI”) is prohibited in entities involved in:
The terms “lottery, gambling and betting” have not been defined under the FDI Policy.
Hence, one may rely on the statutes in pari materia, judgments (both domestic and foreign),
dictionaries, etc. for the meaning of these terms. In case of games of skill, an argument can be
made that it does not amount to ‘gambling and betting including casinos, etc,’ and
accordingly foreign direct investment may be permitted in such games.
Further, the Non-Debt Rules also prohibits foreign technology collaborations in any form
including licensing for franchise, trademark, brand name, management contract for lottery
business and gambling and betting activities. This prohibition should not apply in relation to
games of skill.
For violating the Non-Debt Rules, one may have to pay a penalty of up to thrice the sum
involved where such amount is quantifiable, or up to INR 2,00,000 (approx. USD 4000)
where the amount is not quantifiable, and where the contravention is a continuing one, further
penalty which may extend to INR 5,000 (approx. USD 100) for every day after the first day
during which the contravention continues. Several skill gaming companies have in fact
received foreign direct investment including Rummy and fantasy sports.
Under the FEMA read with Foreign Exchange Management (Current Account Transaction)
Rules, 200046 (“Current Account Rules”), remittance of income from winnings from lottery,
racing/ riding or any other hobby is prohibited. Remittance for purchase of lottery tickets,
banned/proscribed magazines, football pools, and sweepstakes, etc. is also prohibited.
Remittance for the purpose of betting by a player or any remittance of prizesto any player in
foreign currency may potentially contravene these rules and incur penalties which may
extend up to three times the amount remitted.
⦁ Section 115BB: This section lays out the “tax on winnings from lotteries,
crossword puzzles, races including horse races, card games and other games of any sort or
gambling or betting of any form or nature whosoever”. The amendment basically says
that this provision doesn’t apply to online gaming—which is defined in Section 115BBJ
of the Act.
⦁ Section 115BBJ: This is a new section that’s supposed to be inserted into the
Income Tax Act. It basically lays out how the net winnings from online gaming should
be taxed. It also defines an online game as one that’s “offered on the internet and is
device.”
Both these amendments apply from April 1st, 2024 Because both will be applied to the
assessment year 2024-25—which is when taxes are collected for the financial year 2023-24.
The assessment year runs from April 1st, 2024 to March 31st, 2025. The financial year runs
from April 1st, 2023 to March 31st, 2024.
The GST regime classifies and imposes various rates on goods and services; 28% being the
highest on a few items. Online Skilling games are at present taxed on the platform fee at 18%
and not on the price pool. The winnings from online games are taxable at 30% per the Income
Tax Act, 1969.
Section 15(1) of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (hereinafter referred to as the
“CGST Act”) provides that the value of the supply of goods and services for levy of GST is
the price actually paid or payable for the said supply or the transaction value where the
supplier and recipient are unrelated and the price is the sole consideration.
The GST Rate of Supply notified under Notification 11/2017-Central Tax dated 28.06.2017,
states that Online Gaming under HSN Code 9984 and HSN Code 9997 would be charged at
18% GST, whereas, Gambling activities under HSN Code 9996 would be charged at 28%
GST.
Recently, a panel of State Finance Ministers (hereinafter referred to as the “Panel”) in their
meeting on taxation of Online Gaming had a discussion with respect to the rate of tax on
Online Gaming where the majority of the States including Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya,
Maharashtra, and Gujarat were open to the idea of levying 28% GST on Online Gaming both
Game of skills and Game of chance. Whereas, States such as Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
prefer to have different rates for a game of skills and the game of chance.
The industry registered record growth during COVID – people restricted to their homes
sought to entertain themselves and stay connected, and gaming enabled them to do both – as
more users played multiplayer games, time spent on gaming and related activities increased
by 39%. No surprise, then, that the gaming market was valued at $198.40 bn in 2021, and is
expected to be worth nearly $340 bn by 2027, with mobile games revenue expected to cross
$100 bn by 2023. The gaming industry is larger than the movie and music industries
combined.
The development of the game industry has led to a surge in cross-border merger and
acquisition activities of game companies. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact
of Tencent Games’ acquisition of Riot games on the company and domestic and foreign
markets. This paper used the Weston Synergy Theory to explore the greater effect brought by
the M&A of Tencent, and chose the SWOT model to qualitatively analyze its impact. This
study concluded that this M&A activity may harm Tencent in the short term, but in the long
run, it can improve Tencent's enterprise efficiency and market competitiveness. Through the
acquisition of Riot's core technology, it can improve the enterprise structure and achieve
economies of scale, resulting in a large number of beneficial effects. Therefore, by analyzing
the positive impact of this acquisition, summing up the experience of cross-border mergers
and acquisitions of game companies, it is helpful to guide other game companies to carry out
cross-border mergers and acquisitions, which has a certain practical significance. However,
based on the market particularity and policy support of this M & A, the guiding significance
of other forms of M & A needs to be further discussed.
Gaming has always been popular; gamers of the 80s and 90s have grown up and now head
gaming companies. This generation is the first in the industry to have grown up as gamers
themselves. Their passion and understanding of the environment have helped the industry
evolve and are fuelling the drive. That's not to mention the move online over the last decade,
fast-forwarded by the pandemic. With Covid forcing people inside, looking for things to take
up their time and a way to communicate with others, gaming was the perfect outlet.
Immersed in virtual worlds and communicating with other online players, the industry saw a
39% increase in time spent gaming during the initial outbreak of Covid in 2020.
Philippine Law
On 22 September 2021, Republic Act No. 11590 or An Act Taxing Philippine Offshore
Gaming Operators (POGOs) was signed into law by the President.
Salient Changes in the 1997 National Internal Revenue Code, as amended (Tax Code)
Particula Details
rs
Gaming 5% tax in lieu of all other direct and indirect internal revenue taxes and
tax rate local taxes on the entire gross gaming revenue or receipts or the agreed
predetermined minimum monthly revenue or receipts from gaming,
whichever is higher
Filing On or before the 20th day following the end of each month
and
remittanc
e
● Summarized below are the income tax implication applicable to the following
persons/entities:
** Provides ancillary each taxable year from all sources within and
may include, but shall not ● Not subject to the gaming tax under the new
Brief
Last Sept. 22, 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law Republic Act (RA) 11590 or
an “Act Taxing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO),” which amends certain
provisions in the National Internal Revenue Code to clarify taxes imposed on POGOs. This
will provide clearer taxation guidelines and will strengthen the power of the Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR) to collect taxes from POGOs.
Offshore gaming licensee, as defined by law, refers to an offshore gaming operator, whether
organized abroad or in the Philippines, duly licensed and authorized, through a gaming
license, by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) or any special
economic zone authority, tourism zone authority, or freeport authority to conduct offshore
gaming operations, including the acceptance of bets from offshore customers.
Whereas a service provider is any juridical person, duly created or organized within or
outside the Philippines, or a natural person, regardless of citizenship or residence, which
provides ancillary services to an offshore gaming licensee, or any gaming licensee or operator
with licenses from other jurisdictions. These ancillary services may include customer and
technical relations and support, information technology, gaming software, data provision,
payment solutions, and live studio and streaming services.
All foreign employees of offshore gaming licensees shall have a Tax Identification Number
(TIN). If caught violating this provision, they are liable for penalties of P20,000 for every
foreign national without a TIN. In proper instances, revocation of licenses obtained from
government agencies and prohibition from employing foreign nationals for their operations
may also be imposed.
Recent developments
Republic Act 10963
On 19 December 2017, Republic Act No. 10963, also known as the Tax Reform for
Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill, was signed into law and the bill took effect on 1
January 2018. The TRAIN law affects merger and acquisition transactions in the areas of
donor’s tax, Value Added Tax (VAT) and stamp duty (or documentary stamp tax) as
discussed below.
In 2015, one major law was enacted affecting mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the
Philippines. Republic Act No. 10667, also known as the Philippine Competition Act, was
signed into law on 21 July 2015. It provides for the creation of an independent, quasi-judicial
body called the Philippine Competition Commission.
The law grants the commission the power to review M&A based on factors the commission
deems relevant. Merger and acquisition agreements that substantially prevent, restrict or
lessen competition in the relevant market or in the market for goods or services, as the
commission may determine, are prohibited, subject to certain exemptions.
Effective 1 March 2020, parties to a merger or acquisition agreement with a transaction value
exceeding 2.4 billion Philippine pesos (PHP) and the aggregate annual gross revenues in, into
or from Philippines, or value of the assets in the Philippines of the ultimate parent entity of at
least one of the acquiring or acquired entities, including that of all entities that the ultimate
parent entity controls, directly or indirectly exceeding PHP6 billion are barred from entering
their agreement until 30 days after providing notification to the commission in the form and
containing the information specified in the commission’s regulations. An agreement entered
into in violation of this notification requirement would be considered void and subject the
parties to an administrative fine of 1 to 5 percent of the transaction’s value.
In relation to this, Republic Act No. 11494, also known as Bayanihan to Recover As One,
was signed into law and took effect on 15 September 2020. Pursuant to Section 4 (eee) of
said Act, the Commission issued Memorandum Circular 20-003 which exempts all M&A
with transaction values below PHP50 billion from compulsory notification if entered into
within a period of 2 years from the effectivity of the Act. This is in response to the COVID-
19 pandemic
The Philippine Competition Act also provides that the commission shall promulgate other
criteria, such as increased market share in the relevant market in excess of minimum
thresholds, which may be applied specifically to a sector or across some or all sectors in
determining whether parties to a merger or acquisition should notify the commission.
If the commission determines that such agreement is prohibited and does not qualify for
exemption, the commission may:
The Commission published Memorandum Circulars (MC) Nos. 16-001 and 16-002 on 22
February 2016, and they took effect on 8 March 2016. MC 16-001 provides transitional rules
for M&A executed and implemented after the effective date of the Philippine Competition
Law and before the effective date of its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
Similarly, MC 16-002 provides transitional rules for M&A of companies listed with the
Philippine Stock Exchange.
On 28 March 2017, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) issued Revenue Memorandum
Order (RMO) No. 08-2017 effective 26 June 2017 regarding the procedures for claiming tax
treaty benefits for dividend, interest and royalty income of non-resident income earners. The
RMO dispensed with the mandatory tax treaty relief application (TTRA) for dividends,
interests and royalties. Instead, preferential treaty rates for dividends, interests and royalties
may now be applied by Philippine withholding tax agents on submission of a Certificate of
Residence for Tax Treaty Relief (CORTT) form.
RMO No. 08-2017 does not apply to other types of income such as business profits and gains
from alienation of property. In these cases, RMO No. 72-2010, as discussed below, applies
and obtaining a ruling is still required.
On 25 August 2010, the BIR issued RMO No. 72-2010, which mandates the filing of a TTRA
for entitlement to preferred tax treaty rates or exemptions. Under current regulations, this is
now limited to income other than dividends, interests and royalties as covered by RMO No.
08-2017. The TTRA must be filed before the occurrence of the first taxable event (i.e. the
activity that triggers the imposition of the tax).
The BIR relaxed the TTRA filing deadline after a Philippine Supreme Court ruling in August
2013. In that case, the BIR denied a TTRA because the taxpayer failed to file their TTRAs
before the occurrence of the first taxable event. The court held that the obligation to comply
with a tax treaty takes precedence over a BIR revenue memorandum.
1. Sales of goods and properties to offshore gaming licensees subject to gaming tax
2. Services rendered to offshore gaming licensees subject to gaming tax by service
providers, including accredited service providers
The PAGCOR or other implementing agency shall engage the services of a third-party audit
platform to determine the gross gaming revenues/receipts of each offshore gaming licensee
for submission to the BIR.
Reference:
https://kpmg.com/ph/en/home/insights/2021/09/special-intax-september-2021-issue2-
volume1.html
https://kpmg.com/xx/en/home/insights/2021/04/philippines-taxation-of-cross-border-
mergers-and-acquisitions.html
https://www.grantthornton.com.ph/insights/articles-and-updates1/tax-notes/taxation-of-
philippine-offshore-gaming-operations/
https://cleartax.in/s/tax-on-online-gaming-in-india
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1028&context=globe
https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/handle/2077/67846/gupea_2077_67846_1.pdf?sequence=1
https://www.nishithdesai.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Html/Hotline/
New_Publication_Ahead_of_the_Game_M.htm