After the nationwide ban on the wildly popular game PUBG Mobile, Andhra Pradesh government, in a major breakthrough, on Thursday, announced to bar online games like rummy and poker. According to the state government, these games were pushing the youth on a “wrong path”.
The decision came after the State Cabinet approved a proposal to amend Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974, to ban online games that involve money transactions.
The government said that these online games were leading the youth to “unhealthy tendencies, therefore, the State Cabinet has taken the decision to ban them to protect the youth.
The state cabinet that met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy took the decision to ban online gambling, Information Minister Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) said. Addressing media at the end of the press conference, the minister said, ” online gambling has become a vice that was damaging the youth by misleading them. So we have decided to ban all such gambling to protect the youth”.
The revised amendment to the Gaming Act proposes six months of imprisonment for those who indulge in playing them and one year jail term for the organisers. For the second time defaulters, the imprisonment will increase to two years with fine.
Raj Kundra, CEO of Viaan Industries Limited, said, “I think it’s a fantastic decision. I have been saying from the beginning it is important to have a regulated market. I am waiting to see when other States take the same stand with all real money games from Poker to Fantasy sports allowing just the officially licensed and regulated players.”