We missed this earlier: The newly-enacted Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Act, 2022, which regulates gambling and online gambling in the state, will only apply to games of "chance and luck", leaving games of "mere skill" outside its purview. The law was passed by the state assembly in January. Notified in the state gazette on March 23rd after reportedly receiving the state Governor's assent on March 15th, the Act defines games of skill as those whose outcomes are "predominantly determined by the knowledge, training, expertise, and experience of the participant". The outcomes of games of chance are not determined by these factors, but by chance and luck. Through provisions like banning gambling ads and penalizing online gambling, the Act hopes to address the harms of online gaming, particularly to "curb the tendency of extracting illegal money by involving in gambling and satta and to prevent the social event of gambling and online gambling and to prevent the consequent financial trouble on the families in the State of Chhattisgarh". With the gazette notification, the Public Gaming Act, 1867, erstwhile effective in Chhattisgarh, has been repealed. Why it matters: The law comes after the Indian government’s proposed rules to regulate the online gaming sector were released in January. Whether those rules apply to games of skill and games of chance (which are held to be gambling games) remains unclear. This is important as gambling is a state subject in India, which is why Chhatisgarh has brought its own law to regulate the online gambling sector. As we've previously…
