As part of the question-and-answer show Ungalil Oruvan (one of you) Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister M.K Stalin shared instances of people taking their lives due to losses suffered in online gambling in different parts of the state. The CM also expressed that it is a “mystery” to him that the Governor has still not given his assent for the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, 2022.
Stalin stated that there are suicide cases being reported on a regular basis of people getting addicted to online gambling and losing money. He mentioned four recent incidents related to online gambling including online rummy and asked why the Governor is not giving his assent.
“The Madras High Court passed an order saying that a law against online gambling must be passed. However, the Governor disrespected the ordinance we sent by not giving his assent. It is a mystery why the Governor did not give his assent,” said Stalin.
Stalin mentioned that a mother in Vyasarpadi, Chennai committed suicide after finding out that her son is addicted to online rummy and has stolen money from his office. The son is at large from fear of getting arrested.
In another incident, a person named Riyaz Khan lost money in online rummy and took his life by jumping into the Cauvery river in Namakkal district. One of the last two included a college student ending his life by hanging himself in Madurai and said that these incidents occurred within the last week.
Moreover, the CM also highlighted how the Union Government is taxing the earnings from online gambling. He said, “What can you say about the government that does not ban online gambling but levies a tax on them to make them legitimate?”
The Gaming Ban Bill was passed unanimously in the TN Legislative Assembly in October last year. Stalin also said that the Governor readily gave his assent for the ordinance banning online gambling but has failed to do so in the case of the Bill.
The Bill considers online games like rummy and poker as games of chance despite the Supreme Court ruling rummy as a game of skill under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.