Indian Court says rummy is not gambling

A new resolution by the Bombay High Court established that rummy is not a form of gambling.

India.- The Bombay High Court has ruled that rummy is not gambling after a businessman filed a petition to disregard the charges against him. Last year, the authorities tried to convict him for playing rummy in his club.

The owner of the facility had rented what it was a factory to the Shivleela Sporting and Recreational Club in order to promote social and recreational activities that included sporting games like carom, hockey, chess, cricket, football, card games and rummy, as the Times of India reported. The club claims that permission to run the card room was asked to the police commissioner of the local city, but in a raid that happened in May 2016 the authorities accused 28 people of indulging in illegal activities under the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887.

Bombay High Court rejected the claims as it’s not established that rummy is gambling. “It simply states that they were playing cards with money and those were seized. It appears that the respondents filed FIR on assumptions and presumptions that petitioner was running common gaming house, but there was nothing to show,” the court said. “Petitioner is one of the members of the recreational club and it’s his contention that they were playing rummy. Game of rummy is not gambling.”

Earlier this month, Kadiam Srihari, Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, said that online rummy will be banned in the state after the cabinet approved a measure to block online gambling.