An amendment bill to bring online gaming, betting, casinos, horse racing and lottery in the highest GST bracket of 28 per cent was passed by the Maharashtra Assembly on Friday.

The bill to amend the Maharashtra Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 was tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, also the state finance minister.

Speaking on the floor of the House, Pawar said, "The operators or service providers used to find excuses to pay low taxes. Online gaming is not a 'game of skills' but a 'game of chance'. The subcommittee appointed for the same has recommended 28 per cent tax." The GST Council has already taken a decision to bring these services under the tax ambit and there was need to bring more clarification on some issues, Pawar said.

Earlier, operators or service providers in this sector used to pay 18 per cent tax, the Deputy CM added.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.