CHENNAI: The Madras high court on Monday refused to stay the operation of the ordinance promulgated by the Tamil Nadu government banning online betting games.
The state government promulgated the ordinance on November 21.
Refusing any interim relief on the plea moved by online gaming platform Junglee, a division bench of Justice R Subbiah and Justice C Saravanan directed the state government to file its response by December 21.
When the plea came up for hearing, senior advocate P S Raman representing the petitioner submitted that the company had been running legitimate business across the country.
“When it is legitimate in other parts of the country, it cannot be banned as illegitimate in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Andhra Pradesh and Kerala had also banned it, Raman said.
“Since 1968 the Supreme Court has made it clear that rummy is a game of skill and not a game of chances. Therefore, online rummy cannot be banned,” he added.
Similarly, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi contended that when rummy is allowed to be played physically in clubs, the same cannot be banned online. Playing rummy would not amount to betting nor gambling like three cards, he added.
Opposing the plea, advocate general Vijay Narayan and senior advocate A L Somayaji submitted that young teenagers and adults of age group 25 to 30 are losing their entire earnings and savings by playing such online betting games.
Rummy might be a game of skill but when it is played for stakes it becomes gambling, Somayaji said.