Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Cabinet approved Monday an ordinance banning online gaming. The ordinance to ban online gaming will be promulgated after getting assent of Governor RN 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. After that the Tamil Nadu government had then appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Tamil Nadu government had told the apex court stated that teenagers and youths were losing their entire earnings and savings by indulging in online gaming. 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 Tamil Nadu government had constituted a committee headed by Madras High Court’s retired judge, Justice K. Chandru to study the adverse effects of online gaming. 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 Tamil Nadu 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 to enact a national-level law against online gaming with stakes under Article 252 of the Constitution.
