Gambling ban not being imposed strictly, says MLA

MADURAI: The State government should take adequate measures to effectively implement the ban on online gambling to protect the lives of people, especially the youngsters, said former minister and AIADMK MLA RB Udhayakumar on Sunday.

Even though the State Assembly already passed a Bill to ban online gambling and regulate online gaming in Tamil Nadu, the ban was not implemented, due to which online games are still accessible here, alleged the Thirumangalam MLA in Madurai.

If the ban was not implemented strictly, it would affect the future of the younger generation, he said. That the government has not taken any steps to implement the ban despite one and a half months going by since the Ordinance was promulgated raised the question whether the government was functional, alleged Udhayakumar.

Opposition leader and the interim general secretary of AIADMK, Edappadi K Palaniswami, had raised his voice during the Assembly session in March seeking a total ban on online games, he said, claiming that youngsters in the State who are addicted to such games have so far lost a whopping Rs 3,000 crore this year alone.

Considering the ill-effects of such games on the mental and physical health of the youth, the State government should take steps to implement the ban more effectively, he added.