Tamil Nadu Govt will soon put an end to online gambling, announced Chief Minister MK Stalin in state Assembly on Thursday. Replying to a question by opposition AIADMK member V Vaiithilingam, Stalin said that a law was enacted by previous government banning online gaming in the state last year.
An ordinance to “ban online gaming” involving betting was promulgated by the then K Palaniswami-led state government in the backdrop of suicides by gamers who allegedly lost money. The ordinance was promulgated by the then Governor Banwarilal Purohit in November 2020 based on a proposal from state government.
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Three people had allegedly died of suicide in Coimbatore in November 2020 due to heavy financial loss in the online rummy game. “Due to online gaming, innocent people, mainly youngsters are being cheated and some people have committed suicide. In order to avoid such incidents of suicide and protect the innocent people from the evils of online gaming,” the proposal submitted by the government said.
The proposal seeked amending relevant police acts. Other provisions of the ordinance include punishing those found “gaming” with Rs 5,000 fine and and six months imprisonment, two years jail and Rs 10,000 fine for people who operate common gaming houses. The ordinance also banned “electronic transfer of funds” used for wagering or betting, distributing the winnings, prize money and punishing those running the company which conducts online gaming by wagering and betting.
However in August 2021, the Madras High Court had stuck down the Tamil Nadu Gaming and Police Laws (Amendment) Act of 2021, which bans playing of online betting games like rummy and poker with stakes. The state government contested that people were losing their entire savings in online betting games. They said that while rummy might be a game of skill, the game using stakes will become gambling.
In December 2021, the state government moved the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court’s order.
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