India: Online rummy banned in Kerala

Kerala joins several other Indian states in banning online rummy and other stake playing games

Kerala joins Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in outright banning online rummy and other stake playing games.

This new move by Kerala to ban online rummy further proves that the southern area of India is moving against online gambling.

The reason for this is due to the rise in suicides and other social stigmas occurring in the area, with online gambling considered to be the main reason.

The state government took this decision after being urged by the Kerala High Court. The High Court requested that the government decide where online rummy falls under in the Kerala Gaming Act of 1960 – to determine whether it should be excluded from the general banning.

The Kerala Gaming Act outlaws all forms of betting/wagering, but exempts lotteries and games of mere skill. Section 14A of the Act empowers the state government to exempt a game of skill from all of any provisions of the law, if they are satisfied that the element of skill is predominant over the element of chance. ‘Rummy’ was exempted under this provision in 1976.

The Kerala Home Department said in the notification

“Government have now decided in public interest to exclude ‘online rummy when played for stakes’ from the exemption already granted to the game of Rummy and also to make suitable amendment to the said notification,”

Under the law, penalties for running a gaming house can amount to Rs 500, a prison term of 3 months, or both. Being found in a common gaming house is punishable with a fine of Rs 500, a prison term of a month, or both.

Source: AGBrief

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