Tamil Nadu Will Outlaw Playing Rummy And Poker Online

The action was taken a week ago by the Tamil Nadu cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin after passing an ordinance to outlaw these games in the state and designating them as "online games of chance. Other gaming types are not directly mentioned in the law, although it does declare that it intends to "control online games throughout the state".

The action comes as the Supreme Court is debating a case filed by the Tamil Nadu government contesting a Madras High Court ruling that nullified a ban on online games that involve the transfer of money that had been enacted in November 2020 by the previous AIADMK-led administration. The state high court ruled it to be unlawful in a ruling on August 3, 2021.

Any anyone who provides these services risks up to three years in prison, a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh, or both. People who play these games for cash risk up to three months in jail, a fine of up to Rs 5,000, or both penalties.

Skill-based gaming companies and The All India Gaming Federation, received notice from the Supreme Court on September 9 that they had four weeks to submit their responses. The case is expected to be listed after ten weeks. Since then, the Karnataka government has filed a comparable appeal with the Supreme Court, which has been included to the case.

Furthermore, since gambling is a state matter, numerous state governments, notably Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, and Karnataka, have prohibited or attempted to outlaw skill-based real money gaming, which contributes significantly to the revenue of the Indian gaming sector.

Meanwhile, Rummy, which is widely played in these states and is a skill-based game, finds South India to be a particularly important market.