Tamil Nadu Government has promulgated an ordinance to ban online gambling and to regulate online games in the state based on recommendations by a committee headed by justice (retired) K Chandru which studied the impact of the game on people.

Governor R N Ravi issued a gazette notification promulgating the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Ordinance, 2022 on October 1, following a decision by the state cabinet on September 26 to ban online rummy that has consumed several lives in the state. 

The Ordinance says no online games provider shall provide online gambling service or allow playing of any online game of chance specified with money or other stakes or playing of any other online game in contravention of the regulations, in any form. 

“No person shall make or cause to make any advertisement in any media including electronic means of communication, in the State, which directly or indirectly promotes or induces any person to indulge in online gambling or play any online game of chance specified in the Schedule, with money or other stakes,” the Ordinance read. 

It also added that no bank, financial institution or payment gateway provider shall engage in any transaction or authorization of funds towards payment for any online gambling or any online game of chance specified in the Schedule. 

The legislation is based on inputs received from the School Education Department on the effects of online rummy on students, and opinion received from people and other stakeholders. 

Stalin had in June this year constituted a committee headed by justice Chandru and consisting of a technical expert from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M), Sankararaman, Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder of Sneha, an NGO involved in prevention of suicide, and ADGP Vinit Dev Wankhede to draft a “strong law” against online rummy.

This is the second time that Tamil Nadu is acting against online rummy – the AIADMK government had in 2021 imposed a ban through a law which was struck down by the Madras High Court on the grounds that the legislation was drafted without enough proof and reasons. 

The state government constituted the committee after several people had died by suicide after losing lakhs of rupees playing the game online. The incident renewed the calls for a “strong legislation” against online rummy. 

The committee headed by justice Chandru looked into the financial losses incurred while playing the game, suicidal tendencies of people who lose money, analyse the ill-effects of online rummy through data, and the impact of the advertisements on people to play the game.