
CHENNAI: The state government on Friday told the Madras High Court the unbridled online games not only affect the individual players but also their families and the society as a whole.
The submission was made by Advocate General PS Raman before a division bench of justices SM Subramaniam and K Rajasekar during the hearing of a batch of petitions filed by online gaming platforms challenging the recent restrictions put in place by the TN Online Gaming Authority (TNOGA).
Referring to financial burden incurred by the players of real money games and the resultant agony and suffering, which cast a shadow on the family, the AG said the state government was well within its powers to bring in restrictions.
He explained the rationale behind making Aadhaar registration mandatory for playing the games because the verification is two-step with OTPs sent to the person whose Aadhaar card is used.
“If driving licence or other identity card is used, children can impersonate by affixing their photo on the parents’ card and gain entry to play. But Aadhaar-based registration provides two-step verification unlike other modes,” he said.