New law to ban online games with stakes coming soon, says Tamil Nadu Law Minister

CHENNAI: A day after the Madras High Court struck down the state government's amendment to the Tamil Nadu Gaming Act, 1930, that banned online gaming with stakes, the state law minister S Reghupathy on Wednesday announced that a new legislation would be enacted soon. He said the new law will have adequate safeguards by listing out appropriate reasons for banning online gaming with stakes.

The law minister said that Chief Minister MK Stalin had directed that a new legislation should be brought in without any delay to ban online gaming since public interest is paramount.

The minister said the previous AIADMK government had, on November 21 last, enacted a legislation in haste when the then Leader of Opposition MK Stalin demanded that online gaming including rummy should be banned.

The Madras High Court, in its order on Tuesday, held that the state government had failed to list out sufficient reasons for banning rummy and other online games and held the amendment legislation as invalid. However, the court had clarified that there was no ban on bringing in a new legislation for banning online games.

The law passed by the AIADMK government banned persons from betting in cyberspace using computers or any communication device or resource. People who are found gaming would be punished with a fine of Rs 5,000 and six months imprisonment. Those who open or keep a common gaming house would be punished with a fine amount of Rs 10,000 and two years imprisonment.