Puducherry Law Minister Confirms Bill to Ban Online Rummy Has Been Drafted

On the day, i.e., March 23, when Tamil Nadu re-adopted the TN Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulate of Online Games Bill in the Legislative Assembly, Puducherry’s Law Minister K Lakshminararyanan announced that the territorial government has drafted a bill to prohibit online rummy games in the union territory. This announcement was made during the assembly session, where members from ruling and opposition parties pleaded for action against online rummy games.

The proposed Bill will be sent to the Centre for approval, and once granted, the Puducherry government will pass it.

The call for action against online rummy games was led by DMK leader R Siva, who tabled a call attention motion in the assembly. The Minister for Public Works, Lakshminarayanan, said, “There is no second opinion on the part of the government to ban the game. We have prepared a Bill to ban it, and after getting approval of the Centre, the Bill would be placed on the table of the House for a detailed debate, and after the adoption of the Bill, the necessary Act would be enforced.”

Another DMK legislator, L. Sampath, also submitted a draft regulation to the Puducherry government with the same objective. In support of the motion, Bharatiya Janata Party legislator P.M.L. Kalyanasundaram emphasized the need to protect the youth, citing instances of players falling prey to the game.

Responding to the members’ pleas, Lakshminarayanan confirmed that the government had already prepared the necessary bill to ban online rummy games.

“The Bill is now ready, and with the territorial government itself having the powers to frame the legislation, we have done all the groundwork. Since the Bill involved penal provisions, there was a need for the government to refer it to the Centre. The Draft Bill would be sent to the Centre for approval. As soon as the Centre’s nod is available, the Bill would be placed on the table of the House for a detailed debate,” said Lakshminarayanan.

The recent move by the Puducherry government to draft a bill to ban online rummy games is in stark contrast to their earlier stance on legalized gambling. Just six years ago, the government under then Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy was exploring the possibility of setting up offshore casinos in the state, citing tourism and revenue benefits.

The idea was even discussed in July 2016, and a high-level delegation led by Malladi Krishna Rao planned to study offshore casinos in Goa. However, increasing political pressure and a change in leadership saw the plan dropped, and by 2020, Narayanasamy had changed his tune and urged a ban on online gaming sites.

After Narayanasamy resigned in February 2021, N Rangasamy became Puducherry’s 11th Chief Minister in May. Rangasamy had been vocal about his opposition to online gaming as an opposition leader. However, he took no significant steps against the industry until Tamil Nadu passed an ordinance banning real money online games in October.

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