Promulgation of ordinance to ban online Games in TN

Promulgation of ordinance to ban online Games in TN

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-I – Social Issues & GS-II – Policies and interventions

In news

• Tamil Nadu Governor promulgated an ordinance that banned online gaming in the state, with a fine up to Rs 5,000 and imprisonment of up to six months.

Key takeaways 

• According to the Governor, due to online gaming, innocent people, mainly youngsters, are being cheated, and some people committed suicide.
• The decision to ban online gaming was taken to avoid such incidents of suicide and protect the innocent people. 
• Any form of wagering or betting in cyberspace by using computers or any other communication device, common gaming houses, and any electronic transfer of funds to distribute winnings or prize money has also been banned.
• This effectively means that players in the state will not be able to purchase any add-on for the games they play, go to gaming arcades or participate in online gaming tournaments. 

Do you know? 

• In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, some forms of online games and gambling are banned.
• Karnataka has also been mulling a law to ban online games and gaming.