Supreme Court in India mulls online gambling

The massive but largely frustrated gambling community in India will be watching the deliberations of the nation’s Supreme Court closely in the coming months as the country’s top jurists consider arguments on whether online card games involving stakes can be construed as games of skill and therefore fall within the country’s laws, or whether they are undiluted internet gambling, which is currently illegal.

Provincial High Courts have referred the debate to the Supreme Court to resolve legal grey areas, especially those around card games.

Arguing the legality of such games online are companies like Head Infotech India and Play Games 24 X 7, which run popular game websites Ace2Three.com and RummyCircle. com. Their claim is that the sites operate on a tournament model where the winners take all, and the organisers make money from tournament-style fees paid by players.

The growth of gambling is accelerating in India, according to media reports, with the online and offline industry worth around $10 billion this year despite the restrictions of the antiquated Public Gambling Act 1867.

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