Madras High Court’s Landmark Judgement on Online Gaming Act

In a landmark judgement, the Madras High Court upheld the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022. However, the court ruled that the Act’s prohibitory provisions will be applicable only to games of chance and not to games of skill such as Rummy and Poker.

Madras High Court : The Judgement

The judgement was delivered by a bench of Chief Justice Sanjay V. Gangapurwala and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu. They stated that the State government had failed to demonstrate how Rummy and Poker, declared to be games of skill by the Supreme Court, would become games of chance when played online.

The court further stated that the Act could not be invoked to ban games of skill like Rummy and Poker. The verdict came on a batch of petitions filed by the All India Gaming Federation and several online gaming companies challenging the constitutional validity of the Act.

The Tamil Nadu government had earlier told the High Court that addiction to online games was “destroying families” and that its new Act banning all forms of online gaming was necessary to protect the citizens of the State. The Act that received the Governor’s assent on April 10 this year prohibits all forms of online gambling and online ‘games of chance’ including online Rummy and Poker.

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In conclusion, the judgement by the Madras High Court marks a significant development in the regulation of online gaming in India. While it upholds the Tamil Nadu government’s efforts to curb the negative impacts of online gambling, it also recognizes the legitimacy of games of skill. This delicate balance between regulation and freedom is crucial for the healthy growth of the online gaming industry.