TN Governor approves ordinance to ban online rummy and poker games
Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi has approved an ordinance to ban online rummy and poker games with stakes in the state, dealing a big blow to the nascent but fast-growing sector.
This move comes a week after the Tamil Nadu cabinet, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, had passed an ordinance to ban these games in the state, terming them as “online games of chance”. The ordinance doesn’t specifically mention other game formats and applies only to games where the transfer of money is involved.
Any person offering these services will face an imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh, or both. Meanwhile, people playing these games with money shall face imprisonment of up to three months or a fine of up to Rs 5,000 or both.
The move comes as the Supreme Court has started hearing a petition by the Tamil Nadu government challenging a Madras High Court decision that overturned the previous AIADMK-led government’s November 2020 ban on online games involving the transfer of money. In an order issued on August 3, 2021, the state high court declared it unconstitutional.