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Andhra Pradesh HC: Govt Committee To Decide If Online Rummy Is Skilled-Based Or Not!

The Andhra Pradesh state government has been directed to constitute a committee to decide whether online rummy is a game of skill or a game of chance. The order was given by a division bench of Andhra Pradesh High Court consisting of Justices C Praveen Kumar and K Manmadha Rao.

The committee will include judicial, independent-technical and non-technical members (non-government members), two persons representing the platform operators, and one Police Officer of the rank of Director General as members. It may also have another member representing the Government. In 2020 the state received a lot of petitions which challenged the amendments made in 2020 to the Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974. The amendments banned all gaming, and the direction from the High Court came in response to these petitions. 

On 31st January 2023, the High Court passed the decision while holding that rummy played physically is a game of skill. However, there is no material available to hold that online rummy is also a game of skill or a game of chance. The court suggested that the two recent judgments of Karnataka High Court and Tamil Nadu High Court have not considered the medium in which online rummy is played.

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ALSO READ: What the AP Govt Ban means for Online Rummy

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Agreeing with the Government’s contention, the High Court raised questions on the skill factor in an online rummy game. The Court said, “When the operator is one of the players or when the game itself can be played by the operator, can it be said that the game is played in a foolproof manner, avoiding mischief and malpractice.”

The Government, however, argued that online games are played in a distinct format, and the approach itself is separate, which makes the decisions in K.R Lakshmanan and State of Andhra Pradesh v. K. Satyanarayana and Ors, non-applicable to the present case.

Considering how each of the petitioning rummy operators is operating the games on their respective platforms, the Court held that it might not be appropriate for the court to come to a conclusion without knowing how the game is played and how the operator functions. The case will now be heard after four weeks as the committee has been granted a time period of four weeks to submit its report. 

Andhra Pradesh is the second state in India to enforce a law banning all gaming for stakes. The 2020 amendment continues to be in force in the state.

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