India: AIGF to contest Tamil Nadu online gaming ban

The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) argues that the newly approved online gaming ban confuses skill games with gambling.

India.- The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) has declared its intention to challenge the recently approved bill to ban online gaming in Tamil Nadu, India. AIGF CEO Roland Landers says the organisation will contest the legality of the legislation, arguing that “it conflated games of skill with games of chance.” 

Landers said that the bill’s impact would be far-reaching, resulting in the prohibition of many skill-based games. He said: “We have full faith that our judicial system will uphold the fundamental rights of the gaming platforms and their users.”

He added: “This is disappointing as it disregards the six decades of established legal jurisprudence and also the recent judgment of the Madras High Court which struck down a similar law. The Central government has anyway notified online games rules, and as we have said, the Central government has the rightful mandate under the Indian Constitution to regulate online gaming.”

The AIGF had been in contact with the Tamil Nadu government, urging it to take action against illegal offshore betting websites, which it says will proliferate if Indian apps are banned. He dismissed the need to wait for a Supreme Court decision, stating that the High Court’s decision, which struck down a similar law, was intended to benefit gambling operators and platforms.

He said: “As the oldest and largest industry body, representing the most number of Indian MSME start-ups, we will challenge the constitutionality of the law, once the effective date is notified. Our judicial system will uphold the fundamental rights of the gaming platforms and their users.”

The bill was approved by the state governor after being passed by the state assembly for a second time. The governor had refused to sign it the first time.