Days after Governor RN Ravi returned the ‘Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill’ back to the Assembly, the ruling DMK is set to introduce the bill for the second time in the upcoming Assembly session.
The state government had originally taken the ordinance route to outlaw online gambling in Tamil Nadu. While the ordinance was promulgated after getting assent from the Governor, the state government did not have the necessary approval from Ravi for the bill it passed in the Assembly in October last year.
Amid a strong exchange of words over the Governor’s ‘delay’ in taking a decision, the return of the bill has come as a shocker for the Stalin-led government. The Governor had reportedly reasoned that the state government did not have the necessary legislative competence for such a law.
Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin told CNN-News18, “I think the Governor should respect the resolution passed by the Assembly. The Assembly is starting on March 20. We will be passing the Bill banning online gaming again for the second time.”
Chief Minister MK Stalin too had hit out at RN Ravi last week. “He (Governor) refused to give assent even to anti-gambling Bill. He is saying this after four months.”
Tamil Nadu had set up a committee under retired judge K Chandru to study the ill effects of online gambling. The report came out strongly in support of a ban, arguing that the involvement of various computer-led algorithms made online gambling very opaque, and hence cannot be treated as a pure game of skill.
In August 2021, the Madras High Court struck down a law banning online gambling in the state.
Clashes, chaos in Pakistan as Imran Khan faces arrest 