The Kerala government declared online rummy ‘illegal’ today and it's ban will come into force with immediate effect. The Pinarayi Vijayan government took the decision after amending The Kerala Gaming act, 1960, reads a Financial Express report.
The notification was issued regarding the online gaming amendment act on 26th February afternoon. The Kerala Court directive had urged the government to take measure against the online rummy business.
In a Public Interest Litigation filed by movie director Pauly Vadakkan, he had sought action against such sites that hosted the online rummy games and on a hearing on February 15, the Kerala High Court was told about the online rummy menace.
In his plea, the director said that the online rummy gaming business was ruining the youth of the state. The plea had also mentioned a suicide by a young man after he lost a considerable amount due to his habit of playing online rummy. The PIL had made headlines after the Kerala High Court had issued notices to Indian Cricket Team Captain Virat Kohli and movie star Tamannaah.
While, Kerala is not the first state to ban online rummy. Earlier, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have also amended existing laws or brought rules to declare online rummy gaming as illegal. Both Gujarat and Delhi High Court have also asked the respective governments to take a decision on the online betting business.
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