Earlier this week, the Andhra Pradesh High Court asked the state government to form a committee to answer a critical question: is online rummy a game of skill or a game of chance? What was the case about? The Court was hearing petitions challenging the state government's 2020 ban on all games played for stakes, reported Gateway to Gaming. The state government declared online gambling activities illegal, but clarified that it won't block apps or websites offering stakes in games like poker and rummy. "Citizens will still be able to access these services, but now they can be prosecuted if caught," MediaNama had reported back then. Soon after, private gaming companies challenged the ban in court. Why does this matter—what's the big confusion? Games of chance (which you win largely based on luck) are regulated by states in India. In short, these are gambling games. On the other hand, games of skill (which are won using tact and skill) lie outside of states' powers. While most states in India have banned gambling games, what actually constitutes 'gambling' differs from state to state. So, a game that might be legal in one state may be illegal in another. Simply put: there's already not much definitional clarity on which games are legal and which are not. This is complicated by the rise of online gaming, as the Andhra Pradesh government noted in court. What did the government say?: The Supreme Court determined offline rummy to be largely a game of skill decades ago. But…
