We missed this earlier: Puducherry may soon join neighbouring Tamil Nadu in banning online rummy, reported The Hindu. Speaking in the Union Territory's Assembly in March, Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan said a bill had been drafted and would be sent to the Indian government for its stamp of approval. The comments came after a calling attention motion was tabled by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Minister R. Siva for information on the government's steps to ban online rummy in the territory. While Siva suggested an "immediate need" for online rummy to be banned, another DMK legislator L. Sampath added that he's submitted a draft regulation banning the game to the Puducherry government. Puducherry's youth need to be protected given instances of people "falling prey" to online rummy, the Bhartiya Janata Party's (BJP) P.M.L. Kalyanasundaram said. "There is no second opinion on the part of the government to ban the game," Lakshminarayanan clarified. The draft law involves penal provisions which is why it will be sent to the Indian government—as soon as it approves it, the bill will be tabled and debated in the Union Territory's Assembly. Puducherry's Chief Minister N. Rangasamy leads an All India NR Congress and BJP coalition in the Union Territory. Its Assembly can make laws on any of the matters mentioned under the Indian Constitution's State and Concurrent lists. Why it matters: While states can regulate gambling or games of chance, rummy has been held by courts to be a game of skill. In short, states may not be able…
