The Tamil Nadu Cabinet has approved an ordinance to ban online gambling

The Tamil Nadu Cabinet has approved an ordinance to ban online gambling

The Tamil Nadu Cabinet on Monday approved an ordinance to ban online gaming in Tamil Nadu. The Ordinance will be published in Tamil Nadu after getting the approval of the Governor of Tamil Nadu.

This was not the case when the public authority first enacted the law to ban internet betting. In 2021, an earlier order against internet-based betting was struck down somewhere near the Madras High Court as it said the massive ban on internet betting was "unnecessary and wrong".

On September 9, the Supreme Court issued notices to all the respondents in the petition, giving them four weeks to file their responses, and the case is expected to be listed after 10 weeks.

States like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka have tried to ban skill games. However, the High Courts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala have struck down such amendments to laws banning online skill gaming as unconstitutional.

Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court's order striking down the Tamil Nadu Gaming and Police Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, which banned the playing of games like rummy and poker in cyberspace. The High Court, however, said there was nothing to prevent the enacting of a new law to regulate these sports.

The Tamil Nadu government further argued that teenagers and adults are losing their entire income and savings in these online betting games. Although Rummy is a game of skill, playing with stakes can turn into gambling, the Tamil Nadu government has said.

Last year, the government set up a committee headed by retired High Court judge K. Chanduru to study the impact of online gambling. The committee's report recommended a ban on gambling and rehabilitation of addicts to the Tamil Nadu government.