The Karnataka state government proposes to have a law regulating online gambling and betting in the state, it has told the Karnataka High Court, per LiveLaw. A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum granted six weeks to the state government to file its statement of objections to a petition seeking ban on online gambling and betting of any nature until a regulatory regime is established. Assistant Attorney General reportedly sought time on the ground that a proposal to have a legislation is being placed before the state cabinet. The cabinet's decision will be placed on record along with the statement of objections, per the order. Senior Advocate and a former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for The Online Rummy Federation, submitted that online rummy is not illegal and should not be prohibited. TORF was seeking to be impleaded in the matter, which the court has permitted. The petition, filed by one Sharada DR, called attention to the regulatory vacuum, in the form of a government structure or regulatory body, around online gambling and betting. This led vulnerable sections, particularly the youth, adults, and even children to become prone to predatory situations, it claimed. The petition also cites recent moves by the high courts of Gujarat and Madras around online gambling and betting laws governing the respective states. The matter will now be heard on March 21. Recent efforts to regulate online gambling Most recently, the Kerala High Court directed the state government to take a decision within…
