Tamil Nadu becomes the third state to ban online gaming and betting
The Indian State of Tamil Nadu has just made online gaming illegal in the state. Offenders face up to six months imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 5,000.
This comes after the neighboring Andar Pradesh and Telangana also made online wagering and betting illegal.
The decree was made on November 20 to restrict all online gambling activities Tamil Nadu. The ban includes online poker, rummy, and all online casino games.
Due to this new law, several online poker websites have blocked Tamil Nadu players from accessing their platforms. That is, players in the state can no longer play on sites like Adda52, PokerBaazi, Pokerstars, and Spartan Poker.
Why Tamil Nadu has banned online gaming
In explaining why online gaming was banned, the State governor mentioned that these gaming sites are cheating many citizens, mostly youngsters. He stated that some have committed suicide and lost lots of properties to gaming.
A statement released by the Tamil Nadu government reads: “In order to avoid such cases of suicide, and protect innocent people from the evils of online gaming, the government has submitted a proposal to the Governor to promulgate an ordinance by amending the Tamil Nadu Gaming Act, 1930; Chennai City Police Act 1888 and the Tamil Nadu District Police Act 1859.”
The ban covers all forms of betting online using the computer or mobile devices, including transferring money to distribute cash prizes. It means that people in the state can no longer purchase online gaming items, participate in gaming arcades, or online gaming tournaments.
Future of online casinos in India looking gloomy
In the past few years, the online gambling market in India has experienced growth like never before through casino sites. However, there have been several debates on the legality.
Since the Indian gambling law only deals with gaming in the country, online casinos located offshore have operated freely in the state. This has attracted a massive number of players from different states of the country.
The huge number of Indians playing at online casinos has been one reason for many debates around the topic. Some critics have complained that since no regulations guide online gaming, many players spend more money on gambling than they should.
Onlinecasinoguide.in, a respected Indian casino site, has pointed out that federal laws could be made to regulate offshore gambling. The site operators believe that such regulations will help protect players while also bringing more revenue to the country.
However, instead of providing policies to guide the activity, Tamil Nadu bans people from playing online casino games.
In the last week of November, the Home Minister of Karnataka, Basavarah Bommai, released a statement concerning online gambling. “Online games are ruining many lives in the state. We have noticed it. Many illegal gambling and betting websites have mushroomed during the lockdown. We need to put an end to such a menace.”
Nevertheless, casino experts are of the opinion that completely banning online gaming could even lead to more illegal gambling activities. Instead of prohibiting the activity, providing policies to protect players would benefit the casino market and the state governments.
