KOCHI: The state government on Tuesday informed the Kerala High Court that the government had proposed to regulate the online rummy gaming by issuing a notification under the provisions of the Kerala Gaming Act, 1960.When the petition seeking to ban online rummy games came up for hearing, Senior Government Pleader Aravid Kumar Babu submitted the government will soon amend the provisions in the Gaming Act and will issue a notification in this regard.
The State Police Chief had already forwarded a proposal to bring the online rummy game under the provisions of the gaming law, which would be vetted by the law department. The government pleader sought time to issue a notification and posted the case to Wednesday.
According to the petitioner, alleged online gambling is now a growing menace in the state and the primary targets will be middle to low-income group people who will be enticed to make easy money. The petitioner said there have been many reported cases across the state in which people have got scammed.
He added that online gambling, wagering and betting activities will not come under the purview of the Kerala Gaming Act, the only law in the state to govern gaming. Using these loopholes in the law, many online platforms flourish freely by conducting online gambling, wagering and betting activities.