Tamil Nadu bans online gaming, imposes fine up to ₹10 lakh, 3-year jail term
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Tamil Nadu has banned online gambling after state governor RN Ravi gave his assent to the Bill. With the Governor clearing the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, a gazette notification would follow.
Hours later, Chief Minister M K Stalin announced in the House that a good outcome of the resolution passed by the Assembly is that Governor Ravi has given his assent to the anti-online gambling Bill. "The gazette notification will be issued today," he said. Following the notification, the anti-online gambling legislation is set to come into force in Tamil Nadu.
What does Tamil Nadu's ban on online games include?
Advertisement in any form promoting online gambling or playing online games of chance with money or other stakes is prohibited in the state. The specified online games of chance are rummy and poker.
Penalty for playing online games in Tamil Nadu:
In Tamil Nadu, any person indulging in online gambling/online games of chance with money or other stakes shall be punished with imprisonment for a term that may extend to three months or with a fine up to ₹5,000 or both.
Those inducing people to play online gambling/games of chance face punishment with imprisonment of up to one year or with a fine, which may extend to ₹5 lakh or both.
Any person who provides online gambling services or games of poker and rummy with money or other stakes shall face punishment with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine which may extend to ₹10 lakh or both.
Following popular outcry against online gambling with several persons choosing to end their lives after landing in a debt trap and losing money heavily by playing such games, the government came out with an ordinance last year to ban online gambling.
The ordinance (prohibiting online gambling, wager-based online games of chance of rummy and poker) was promulgated by Governor Ravi on October 1, 2022, and a gazette notification was issued by the government on October 3. Later, on October 19 last year, a Bill to replace the Ordinance was passed by the Assembly and sent to the Governor.
After 131 days, the Bill was returned on March 6, 2023, by the Governor to the Assembly. "Lack of legislative competence" was among the key reasons outlined by the Raj Bhavan for returning the Bill. However, now the TN Governor has finally given his assent, thus the ban on online games will be imposed with immediate effects.
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