The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) has withdrawn its constitutional challenge to Tamil Nadu's recent ordinance banning online gambling and games of chance in the state, MediaNama has learnt. "The petition was withdrawn by AIGF, after the hearing before the bench of the Hon'ble Chief Justice of [the] Madras High Court," explained AIGF CEO Roland Landers in conversation with MediaNama. "The Tamil Nadu state government informed the Court that they never notified the date of operation of the ordinance, and thus it was not in effect. The Court allowed AIGF and other petitioners to approach it when it is notified. Since then, the ordinance has lapsed." If the ordinance has lapsed, does online gaming continue?: "Our understanding is that since the ordinance lapsed, Indian skill gaming companies are free to provide their service in the state," Landers adds. But, what if the ordinance is eventually notified?: "If the bill is notified and the State government brings it into effect, we will again go to the Hon'ble [Madras High] Court to challenge it, because we believe that the Bill is manifestly arbitrary and unconstitutional and disregards Indian legal jurisprudence and the Indian Constitution regarding games of skill," says Landers. Why does this case matter?: As experts previously told MediaNama, the law introduces many regulatory ambiguities while trying to curb the life-threatening losses of gambling-related harms. This has the potential of arbitrarily harming the online gaming industry's constitutional right to do business in the state. It also disregards past judicial verdicts on the legality…
