Chennai: Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has given his assent to a Bill banning online gambling which was adopted in March by the state assembly for a second time, official sources said on Monday.

Just after the assembly adopted a resolution urging the Centre and President to fix a timeframe for state governors to approve Bills adopted by the House, Raj Bhavan sources said Ravi “has given his assent to the Bill.”

With the Governor clearing the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, a gazette notification would follow.

Hours later, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced in the House that a good outcome of the resolution passed by the assembly is that Governor Ravi has given his assent to the anti-online gambling Bill. “The gazette notification will be issued today,” he said. Following the notification, the anti-online gambling legislation is set to come into force in Tamil Nadu.

Advertisement in any form promoting online gambling or playing of online games of chance with money or other stakes is prohibited in the state. The specified online games of chance are rummy and poker.

Those violating the provision on advertisement for promotion or inducing people to play online gambling/games of chance face punishment with imprisonment up to one year or with fine, which may extend to `5 lakh, or both.

In Tamil Nadu, any person indulging in online gambling/online games of chance with money or other stakes shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months or with fine up to `5,000 or both.

Any person who provides online gambling service or games of poker and rummy with money or other stakes shall face punishment with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine which may extend to `10 lakh or both.

The Governor “delaying” assent for the Bill and then returning it led to a fresh faceoff between Ravi and the DMK regime. Days after Ravi said the term “withheld” meant the Bill in question is dead, the assembly has now passed a resolution asking the Centre to fix a time limit for governors to provide assent for Bills.

Following popular outcry against online gambling with several persons choosing to end their lives after landing in debt trap and losing money heavily by playing such games, the government came out with an ordinance last year to ban online gambling.