The Tamil Nadu Cabinet meeting is scheduled to be held on the 30th August at 5 pm to deliberate on various critical issues including the propsoed ordinance to ban online rummy and other games played for stakes.
The government had constituted a committee headed by retired Madras High Court judge K Chandru in June to analyse the impact caused by online gaming/gambling sites. After the committee submitted a report on June 27 in favour of a ban. Subsequently, there were complaints from online gaming companies and also the public that their views were not taken into account.
The panel’s report pointed to the impact of online games at the societal level and how these games propel adolescents to misuse their parents’ credit cards, etc. Political parties have been urging the government to enact a law expeditiously to ban these games.
Hence, a stakeholders’ meeting was called for and people were also asked to mail their suggestions earlier this month. The last date for submissions was set as August 12. A press release in this regard was addressed to parents, students, teachers, activists, and psychologists.
The Tamil Nadu government has received nearly 10,000Â mails from public on the call to provide views on the proposed gaming ban law.
Chief Minister MK Stalin on last Thursday held a meeting with Law Minister S Regupathy, Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, Home Secretary Phanindra Reddy, DGP Sylendra Babu, Greater Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal and other senior officials of the government to discuss the provisions of the Ordinance. Earlier in July, the Chief Secretary held a meeting with top state officials to discuss the ordinance.
Political parties across ideological have been demanding for a ban on online rummy. The state has recorded nearly 30 suicides due to online rummy in the recent times.
Meanwhile, an inter-ministerial group of the central govt government tasked with drawing up a framework to regulate online gaming is likely to introduce rules governing the amount of money individual players spend in a game.