Online gambling banned in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
Recently after Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Karnataka High Court has declared the Karnataka government’s ban on online gambling to be invalid.
- The Karnataka High Court has struck down important amendments to the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, holding them unconstitutional. These amendments were related to banning all forms of gambling in the state, including online gambling.
- In this Act the definition of gaming included games of skill with games of chance. On this basis the Act was challenged.
- A game is said to be a game of skill when a player spends his time learning, practicing and enhancing a skill. Games of skill are outside the realm of gambling.
- On the other hand, the game of coincidence is considered as gambling. These games depend more on factors like luck and uncertainty.
- Online games refer to games that are played in some form or the other over a computer network. These games are often played over the Internet.
- According to the All India Gaming Federation, India’s online gaming industry is expected to be worth Rs 15,500 crore by the year 2023.
- According to a 2019 survey, India has the second highest number of online gamers in the world.
Reasons behind the increasing number of online gamers:
- Better access to smartphones and lower cost of internet data.
- The perception of social stigma and resistance to online gaming is slowly fading away.
- Prolonged closure of schools due to the pandemic is also a factor.
Concerns:
Online gaming causes physical, social and emotional harm. It adversely affects sleep, appetite, career and social life.
Source – The Hindu
