Tamil Nadu cabinet approves ordinance to ban online gaming

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu cabinet on Monday approved an ordinance banning online gaming, and it will be be promulgated after getting assent of Governor R.N. Ravi, an official statement said.

The Madras High Court had struck down the state's ban on online games like rummy and poker with stakes, and the Tamil Nadu government had then appealed to the Supreme Court.

The state government had told the apex court stated that teenagers and youths were losing their entire earnings and savings by indulging in online games. In its petition, it also said that while rummy could be considered a game with skills, by placing stakes, it had turned into gambling.

The state government had constituted a committee headed by Madras High Court's retired judge, Justice K. Chandru to study the adverse effects of online games. The committee had submitted its report to the Chief Minister in two weeks, recommending a ban on online games with stakes.

The committee also recommended that the state government ban advertisements that encourage people to play such online games. Justice Chandru committee, in its report, also asked the state government to insist on the Union government enact a national-level law against online gaming with stakes under Article 252 of the Constitution.