POKER
Online Poker: Too many cooks spoiling the regulatory broth? The online poker industry had boundless perspectives to deal with, leading to a hung legislative framework (read: open-to-interpretation).
By Mrinal Gujare
A
legal quandary is not an easy one to get out of. Ask anyone from the real money gaming industry and they will reveal it all to you. Petitions seeking ban on online poker, citing reasons sometimes goes beyond one’s comprehension. The logjam between online poker operators and various state governments could just as easily remind you of a soap opera, which hits a high note when a court jumps in with a ruling. The stand-off between the online poker industry and the legal framework of the country has been a hot topic of discussion for many years now. But the screenplay of this regulatory drama is full of suspense to even make a guess.
Sudhir Kamath, CEO & Co-Founder, 9stacks 10
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Pre-independence Era Law The Public Gambling Act, 1867 is still being considered as relevant. There is a burning desire to have an upgraded law in place, which could stabilise the lopsided regulation. Sudhir Kamath, CEO & co-founder, 9stacks while addressing this issue said, “Not just for the online poker industry, but more broadly for the online skill-based gaming industry, of which poker is a small subset. The old law never contemplated online gaming, and today that is the dominant medium for people to entertain themselves.” While some state governments have made attempts to define and regulate the industry, there is a clear need for a central law that will lay down the dos and don’ts. This would also provide muchneeded clarity to other ancillary service providers like banks, payment gateways, and marketing channels.” State Governments Form Independent Legislation One can’t move ahead in this discussion without getting a word from the online poker operators. We spoke to Spartan Poker’s legal head, Rachna Shroff and got to know her view on various state governments making their own 2021
legislation for online poker. Shroff said, “It is a welcome move to
Rachna Shroff, Legal Head, Spartan Poker
have legislation making its way towards online poker and being given a distinctive platform and recognition. While looking at the different state laws, it would be a brilliant move to have one centralized law. It saves time and effort for the law agencies and gives clarity to the entire industry across the country by bringing everyone on the same wavelength.” Another leading online poker brand Calling Station also shared its views on the logjam between operators and state governments. Calling Station’s Marketing Operations Manager, Deepika Patil stated, “Our Indian society needs to be more open-minded about poker. Unless the game is widely accepted as a game of skill, people will think
