November 16th will see the Madras High Court hear the All India Gaming Federation's (AIGF) challenge to the constitutionality of Tamil Nadu's new ordinance banning online gambling and games of chance, reported The Hindu. While the ordinance currently only bans online poker and rummy, more games can be added to this list following regulatory discretion and procedure. The state assembly passed an Act based on the ordinance on October 19th. AIGF, an industry body representing 51 Indian online gaming companies, seeks a stay on the ordinance until this case is disposed of. The ordinance ignores Supreme and High Court verdicts on gambling, as well as "consistent legislative practices" from other states, argues AIGF. In its current form, it would bring the business operations of several AIGF members to a halt. Last week's hearing was adjourned to this Wednesday by acting Chief Justice T. Raja and Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy on AIGF's request. Why it matters: At least 17 gambling-related suicides over the last few years prompted this call to action by the Tamil Nadu government. However, as MediaNama has previously reported, Tamil Nadu's new gambling law bears many similarities to one struck down by the Madras High Court last year on constitutionality grounds. The Court ruled that rummy and poker are games of skill—and lie outside the state government's ambit of regulating gambling, or games of chance. This repetitive approach of banning certain gaming websites to address gambling-related harms may be missing the wood for the trees. As legal challenges against the ordinance amount once again, citizens…
