T.N. Governor grants assent to Bill banning online gambling

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N Ravi has granted his assent to the Bill seeking to ban online gambling and regulate online gaming.

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N Ravi has granted his assent to the Bill seeking to ban online gambling and regulate online gaming.

A senior official at the State Secretariat said the Raj Bhavan had confirmed the Governor‘s decision to the government.

The Bill, was first passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in October 2022. According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, online gambling and online games are addictive in nature and increase the threat to public order manifold, while posing difficulties in terms of designing appropriate regulation.

A committee headed by retired High Court Justice K. Chandru, constituted to advise the government had highlighted how gambling addiction could impact human lives — at the individual, family and societal levels.

However, in March, Governor R.N. Ravi returned the Bill to the State government. A senior official had then said the reason cited for the return was that the State legislature had “no legislative competence” to frame the Bill. Following this, the Legislative Assembly, on March 23, 2023 re-adopted the Bill and once again sent it to the Governor for his assent.