Madras High Court reverses government ban on online rummy and poker

The All India Gaming Federation, Gameskraft, Games24x7, Junglee Rummy, and A23 were among the petitioners who argued that while the game is legally permissible when played physically, it becomes illegal when played online.

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| November 9, 2023 , 5:19 pm
Such sites pose significant financial and socio-economic risks for consumers, especially youth and children and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has previously issued multiple advisories asking television channels, digital news publishers and OTT platforms to refrain from showing advertisements for online gambling sites and surrogate advertisements. (Representative Image: Jack Hamilton via Unsplash)
Such sites pose significant financial and socio-economic risks for consumers, especially youth and children and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has previously issued multiple advisories asking television channels, digital news publishers and OTT platforms to refrain from showing advertisements for online gambling sites and surrogate advertisements. (Representative Image: Jack Hamilton via Unsplash)

The Madras high court overturned the government’s ban on online rummy and poker. According to the court, the ban can still be enforced for games of chance, but it should not apply to rummy and poker, which are considered games of skill. The All India Gaming Federation, Gameskraft, Games24x7, Junglee Rummy, and A23 were among the petitioners who argued that while the game is legally permissible when played physically, it becomes illegal when played online. They cited a Supreme Court judgment that recognizes rummy as a game of skill.

Supporting the decision, Roland Landers, chief executive officer, All India Gaming Federation, said, “We are truly grateful for this landmark decision by the Hon’ble Madras High Court upholding the difference between games of skill and chance in line with over six decades of jurisprudence on the subject.

“Being the apex industry body for online skill gaming and the voice of the MSME gaming start- ups, we at AIGF believe that this decision will be a great boost for this sunrise sector and generate more certainty among investors and the gaming community at large, and is a step in the right direction for this sunrise sector.” Landers added.

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