Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy Wants a Ban on Online Rummy & Other Gaming Sites

Political opposition against real-money online gaming seems to be gathering a storm down South. The latest political bigwig to lobby against the online gambling industry, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy (cover image), has urged the Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to ban online rummy and other gaming sites.

Disclosing this to media persons on Wednesday, Narayanasamy referred to the recent incident of man’s suicide from Villianur in Puducherry identified as Vijayakumar, who did so after losing over ₹30 Lakhs playing online games. After sharing a WhatsApp video calling for a ban on all forms of online gambling, the victim immolated himself.

The Puducherry CM disclosed that the government has been approached by different organizations and quarters to ban online rummy and other gambling portals. “The government conceded to their demand. I have written to Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, urging him to impose a ban on all online gambling platforms. Several innocent and ignorant people get addicted to the online gambling platforms and lose money rendering their families homeless,” he said.

Puducherry – Taking a Step Backward

Surprisingly, CM Narayanasamy himself had strongly supported the idea of exploring offshore casinos in the state along the lines of the Goa model. The Narayanasamy-led Congress government had first mooted the idea in July 2016.

The government even took a new initiative in this direction last December when the CM disclosed the government’s plans to explore the feasibility of permitting casinos.

Even though the move was opposed by LG Governor Kiran Bedi, according to CM Narayanasamym, opening casinos in Puducherry would boost tourism and help improve revenue inflow.

Rising Demands to Ban Online Gaming

Voices of protest from the legal and government quarters against online gambling have been getting louder in the Southern states. A string of adverse decisions has emerged in the region.

The first of them was by the Telangana government that brought on a blanket ban of all forms of real-money gambling in 2017.

In September-end, the Andhra Pradesh government led by YS Jaganmohan Reddy passed an ordinance to ban all forms of real-money online gaming.

Even the Madras High Court in July directed the Tamil Nadu government to regulate online gaming.

Puducherry CM Narayanasamy’s recent statement comes days after Tamil Nadu-based politician and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr. S. Ramadoss wrote to the Union government seeking a similar ban on online gaming.

They are not the only political leaders lobbying against online gaming. DMK Dharmapuri MP Senthilkumar has also reportedly written to the Union Law Minister demanding the same. Senthilkumar said, “Youth has no idea about the safety of the websites they access, as there are several fake websites for rummy. When the Youth pay cash through debit or credit cards, their cards also get blocked.”

The fact remains that online gaming is an unregulated sector in India. Despite demands to bring in a licensing regime, the government has not taken any concrete steps in that direction.