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Tamil Nadu Clears Ordinance Draft to Ban Online Games

CIO Insider Team | Tuesday, 27 September, 2022
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Amid reports of suicides and debt entrapment caused by gambling online, the Tamil Nadu Cabinet decided to take the Ordinance route to ban online games with stakes, acting on a report by a retired High Court judge. It cleared the Ordinance draft mooted by the government.

Soon after the Tamil Nadu Governor signs it, the draft is expected to pose as a law after the in deference to the Cabinet's decision. The government will then notify the date on which it will take effect.

The Tamil Nadu government took a cognisance of reports referring online gambling behind suicides, particularly on youngsters including schoolchildren.

In June, retired judge K Chandru had filed a report suggesting ordinance, including assertion on onlines games requiring few skills, pushed participants down a debt spiral, and exposed them to psychological impact.

Based on Justice Chandru's 71-page report with additions from surveys conducted among schools by the school education department, the government revised its ordinance draft, and e-mailed responses to questionnaires sent across to stakeholders on the impact of online gaming with stakes.

According to technology and gaming lawyer Jay Satya, it was still unclear if games of skill are covered under Tamil Nadu's revised law passed Monday. “It will be surprising if the state government once again decides to ban skill-based games for stakes, an activity that was held to be a fundamental right by the Madras High Court in August 2021”

The Cabinet clearing the ordinance this week is viewed as a second attempt by the MK Stalin-led DMK regime after the Madras High Court last year, struck down a gaming law-amendment that prohibited wagering on online games.

Early this month, the Supreme Court issued notice to respondents on Tamil Nadu government's plea challenging the Madras High Court of August 2021 disallowing the ban. The Karnataka Government, too, had moved the apex court in March this year, looking to ban betting on online games.

Two years ago, the then BJP MP from Karnataka KC Ramamurthy had demanded in the Rajya Sabha that the Centre ban online rummy, saying it had become an addiction among the youth and that it was not a game of skill, but gambling.

According to technology and gaming lawyer Jay Satya, it was still unclear if games of skill are covered under Tamil Nadu's revised law passed Monday. “It will be surprising if the state government once again decides to ban skill-based games for stakes, an activity that was held to be a fundamental right by the Madras High Court in August 2021”.

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