The Tamil Nadu Cabinet on Monday, September 25, gave its nod to promulgate an ordinance to regulate online gambling.The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin, took the decision after final touches were given to the draft ordinance. It would be promulgated once Governor RN Ravi gives his assent, the government said.
In June this year, the Chief Minister announced a new law to curb online gambling, and the state government constituted a panel under retired judge of the Madras High Court Justice K Chandru to recommend on the promulgation of an ordinance to regulate online gambling in the state. Accordingly, the recommendation was submitted to the Chief Minister on June 27, 2022, and it was placed before the Cabinet the same day for consideration.The Cabinet took up the draft ordinance for discussion on Monday after obtaining the requisite information from the School Education Department on the impact of online gaming on students, said an official release.
"The School Education Department provided the feedback after conducting a survey from the general public via e-mail and holding a consultation with stakeholders. Based on the opinion from the Law Department, the draft ordinance was prepared on August 29,2022," the release said.
A four-member committee led by former Madras High Court Justice K Chandru was constituted by the Tamil government to look into issues related to online gaming and submit a report. The Justice Chandru Committee had submitted its report and recommended a ban on online games as these games do not involve any skill and it only leads to addiction. The four-member panel had also recommended that the Tamil Nadu government should take all efforts to ensure that a law against online games is enacted at a national level by mounting pressure on the Union government
Earlier, the AIADMK government had promulgated a similar ordinance to ban online gambling in 2020 but it was struck down by the Madras High Court last year. The court, while passing the order, observed that the “law was constituted poorly” and allowing it “can be seen as erratic, unreasonable and also excessive and disproportionate”.
(With PTI inputs)