Tamil Nadu asks Supreme Court to restore ban on online gambling

The government of Tamil Nadu has gone to the Supreme Court in a bid to reinstate its ban on online gambling after the Madras High Court suspended implementation of the amendment.

India.- Authorities in Tamil Nadu continue to push for their ban on online gambling. The state has filed an order with the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court in a bit to reinstate the ban. The Madras High Court struck down the legislation that banned online gambling in Tamil Nadu in August following a petition brought by online operators.

The High Court ruled that the ban was excessive and disproportionate to the object it sought to achieve, but said the legislature could enact new legislation to regulate online games. However, the government argues that the Madras High Court incorrectly concluded that the state lacked legislative authority to pass the 2021 amendment.

The Tamil Nadu bill, introduced by deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, included punishments of up to two years in prison or a fine of up to Rs10,000 (US$ 137.15) for online gambling. The authorities say people aged 25 to 30 are losing their earnings by playing online games such as rummy.

In November, the Karnataka state government took the decision to ban all forms of gambling in the state. Several companies criticised the amendment and took the case of Tamil Nadu as an example to try to overturn the law.