Tamil Nadu Governor grants assent to Bill banning online gambling

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has given assent to the bill to ban online gambling.
The legislation, called the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, also seeks to regulate online gaming including fantasy sports which may now need vetting by a multi-member committee, Justice K Chandru, retired Madras High Court judge who led the four-member committee tasked with giving recommendations on online gambling in the state, told ET.
Significantly, in March 2023, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed it again unanimously after Governor Ravi returned the bill to the state government for reconsideration.
The Bill also seeks to regulate online gambling including fantasy sports and online games rummy and poker.
A committee will be set up under this law to examine companies individually and determine whether they need to be regulated or banned.
Online gaming firms reacted sharply to the law, citing previous court rulings that classified rummy and poker as games of skill and not chance.