The Hon’ble Madras High Court, on Thursday, overturned the State Government’s ban on online games of skill, including online rummy and online poker. The All India Gaming Federation, the apex industry body for online gaming in India was the lead petitioner in the case.
Speaking on the Court’s decision, Roland Landers, CEO, of All India Gaming Federation, said, “We are truly grateful for this landmark decision by the Hon’ble Madras High Court upholding the difference between games of skill and chance in line with over six decades of jurisprudence on the subject.
By reiterating that online rummy and online poker are games of skill, this decision by the Madras High Court is yet another validation of what the online skill gaming industry has always maintained in relation to online skill games being a legitimate business activity protected under the Constitution of India.
This also adds to a long line of judgments from the Supreme Court, Karnataka, Kerala, and Madras High Courts upholding the legitimacy of such games.
“Being the apex industry body for online skill gaming and the voice of the MSME gaming start-ups, we at AIGF believe that this decision will be a great boost for this sunrise sector and generate more certainty among investors and the gaming community at large and is a step in the right direction for this sunrise sector,” Landers added.
