Regulatory Framework for Gambling in India: Salient Aspects for Mental Health Professionals

Engaging in gambling is a unique human behavior that comes under the purview of both mental health and the legal framework. The classification of gambling disorder as an addictive behavior has rekindled the interest of mental health professionals in this complex paradigm.

The legal framework in the country that regulates gambling has not been adequately discussed in the medical literature. The legal aspects related to gambling are relevant to mental health professionals. This is true from clinical, academic, and research perspectives. The legal definition of gambling, the categorization of different activities as gambling, the status of online activities in a legal framework, and the demarcation of gambling from gaming are some of the themes that are of direct relevance to them.

The current article aims to provide an overview of the legal framework for gambling in the country and insights into the various legal provisions regarding gambling across the country.

We used two online portals—www.indiacode.nic.in and www.prsindia.org— to search for various gambling legislations in different states of the country.

Existing Regulatory Framework for Gambling in the Country

Many gambling-related Acts have been enacted in India since the nineteenth century. The first was enacted in 1867 and was called “The Public Gambling Act 1867.” ¹ Since gambling has been a state subject, many states have enacted their own Acts. We were able to identify 25 Acts (Table 1). The salient aspects of the existing Acts are presented in subsequent sections.

Table 1.

Definition of Gambling Across Different Acts and Specific Gambling Activities and Activities That Are Exempted as Gambling Across Different Acts.

State/Union Territory	Definition of Gambling as Specified in the Act	Specific Activities That Are Listed as Gambling	Specific Activities That Are Exempted from the Act as These Are Not Listed as Gambling
The Public Gambling Act, 1867	Not specified	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Not mentioned
The Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887	Wagering or betting except wagering or batting upon a horse race when such wagering or betting takes place: (a) on the day on which such race is to be run and (b) in an enclosure which the licensee of the race course, on which such race is to be run, has set apart for the purpose under the terms of the license issued under Section 4 of the Bombay Race-Courses Licensing Act, 1912, in respect of such race-course, and (c) between any individual in person, being present in the enclosure, on the one hand, and such licensee or other person licensed by such licensee in terms of the license described above on the other hand, or between any number of individuals in person in such manner and by such contrivance as may be permitted by such license. Does not include the lottery.	Not mentioned	Dog race Horse race Lottery
The Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887, Gujarat	Wagering or betting except wagering or batting upon a horse race when such wagering or betting takes place: (a) on the day on which such race is to be run and (b) in an enclosure which the licensee of the race course, on which such race is to be run, has set apart for the purpose under the terms of the license issued under Section 4 of the Bombay Race-Courses Licensing Act, 1912, in respect of such race course, and (c) between any individual in person, being present in the enclosure, on the one hand, and such licensee or other person licensed by such licensee in terms of the aforesaid license on the other hand, or between any number of individuals in person in such manner and by such contrivance as may be permitted by such license; does not include lottery.	Setting any birds or animals to fight on any public street	Horse race Lottery
The Jammu and Kashmir Public Gambling Act, 1920	Not specified	Setting any birds or animals to fight on any public street	Not mentioned
Tripura Gambling Act,1926	Not specified	Not mentioned	Horse race
The Tamil Nadu Gaming Act, 1930	Wagering or betting shall be deemed to comprise the collection or soliciting of bets, the receipt or distribution of winnings or prizes, in money or otherwise, in respect of any wage or bet or any Act which is intended to aid or facilitate wagering or betting or such collection, soliciting, receipt, distribution.	Setting any birds or animals to fight on any public street	Lottery
The Rajasthan Public Gambling Ordinance, 1949	Any transaction by which a person in any capacity whatever employs another in any capacity whatever or engages for another in any capacity whatever or to wager or bet with another person Does not include the lottery	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Not mentioned
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Public Gambling Regulation, 1951	Not specified	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
The Delhi Public Gambling Act, 1955	It includes wagering or betting except wagering or betting upon a horse race when such wagering or betting takes place on the day on which such race is to be run and in an enclosure in which the stewards controlling such race have, with the sanction of the State Government set apart for the purpose Does not include the lottery	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Lottery
The Odisha Prevention of Gambling Act, 1955	A play or game for money or other stake includes betting, wagering, and other Acts, games, and contrivances by which a person intentionally exposes money or things of value to the risk or hazard of loss by chance. Does not include the lottery	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Lottery
The West Bengal Gambling and Prize Competitions Act, 1957	Wagering or betting except wagering or betting upon a horse race, when such wagering or betting takes place: (i) In accordance with the terms and conditions of a license granted by the state government under this Act, (ii) on the day on which the race is to be run, (iii) in an enclosure that the licensee or the race course on which the race is to be run has set apart for the purpose under the terms of the license granted under Section 2C, in respect of such race course or any other place approved by the state government on this behalf,	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Not mentioned
The Kerala Gaming Act, 1960	Not specified	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Lottery (offline lotteries by the 2005 amendment)
The Public Gambling Act, 1962 (extension to Mizo district)	Not specified	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Not mentioned
The Puducherry Gaming Act, 1965	Wagering or betting shall be deemed to comprise the collection or soliciting of bets, the receipt or distribution of winnings or prizes, in money or otherwise, in respect of any wage or bet or any Act which is intended to aid or facilitate wagering or betting or such collection, soliciting, rec-receipt, distribution.	Gaming with cards, dice, counters, money, or other instruments of gaming in any public street, place, or thoroughfare Publicly fighting cocks	Lottery
The Assam Game and Betting Act, 1970	Any money or valuable security or thing staked by a person on behalf of himself or through any agent or any person procured or employed Acting for or on his behalf, to be lost or won on the happening or determination of an uncertain thing, event or contingency of or in relation to a game or sport and shall include acceptance of the bet.	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
The Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970	“Gambling” or “gaming” means a play or game for money, including betting and wagering, by which a person intentionally exposes money to the risk or hazard of loss by chance.	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Horse race Lottery
The Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974	Playing a game for winnings or prizes in money or otherwise and includes playing a game of mutka or satta, [or playing an online game for winning money or any other stakes] and lucky board and wagering or betting, except where such wagering or betting takes place upon a horse race - (i) on the day on which the horse race is to be run; (ii) in an enclosure which the stewards controlling the horse race or race meeting] have, with the sanction of the government set apart for the purpose; and (iii) (a) with a licensed bookmaker; or (b) by means of a totalisator; but does not include a lottery	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Lottery
The Telangana Gaming Act, 1974	Playing a game for winnings or prizes in money or otherwise and includes playing a game of mutka or satta [or online gaming for money or any other stakes] and lucky board and wagering or betting, except where such wagering or betting takes place upon a horse race- (i) on the day on which the horse race is to be run; (ii) in an enclosure in which the stewards control the horse-race 6[or race meeting] have, with the sanction of the Government set apart for the purpose; and (iii) (a) with a licensed bookmaker; or (b) by means of a totalisator but does not include a lottery	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Lottery
The Goa, Daman, and Diu Public Gambling Act, 1976	Gaming includes— (a) wagering or betting and includes wagering or betting on the digits of a numerical figure arrived at by manipulation in any manner whatsoever, or on the order of the digits, or the digits themselves, or on pictorial representations, (b) any transaction by which a person in any capacity, whatever employs another person in any capacity whatever or engages for another in any capacity whatever, to wager or bet with any other person, (c) the collection or soliciting of bets, receipts, or distribution of winnings or prizes in money or otherwise in respect of wagering or betting or any Act which is intended to aid or facilitate wagering or betting or such collection, soliciting, receipt or distribution	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Lottery
The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act, 1976	Gaming includes— (a) wagering or betting and includes wagering or betting on the digits of a numerical figure arrived at by manipulation in any manner whatsoever, or on the order of the digits, or the digits themselves, or on pictorial representations, (b) any transaction by which a person in any capacity, whatever employs another person in any capacity whatever or engages for another in any capacity whatever, to wager or bet with any other person, (c) the collection or soliciting of bets, receipts, or distribution of winnings or prizes in money or otherwise in respect of wagering or betting or any Act which is intended to aid or facilitate wagering or betting or such collection, soliciting, receipt or distribution	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Lottery
The Goa Public Gambling (Amendment) Act, 2003 (amended in 2012 and amendment bill in 2021)	As described in The Goa, Daman, and Diu Public Gambling Act,1976 No amendment made	As described in The Goa, Daman, and Diu Public Gambling Act,1976 No amendment made	As described in The Goa, Daman, and Diu Public Gambling Act,1976 No amendment made
The Public Gambling (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Act, 1976	It includes wagering or betting on any figures, numbers, or dates to be subsequently ascertained or disclosed or on the occurrence or non-occurrence of any natural event or in any other manner whatsoever except wagering or betting upon a horse race, when such wagering or betting upon a horse race takes place- (a) on the day on which such race is to be run, and (b) in an enclosure which stewards controlling such race have, with the sanction of the State Government, set apart for the purpose, but does not include a lottery	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Lottery
The Arunachal Pradesh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2012	Gambling means and includes wagering or betting, except wagering or betting upon a horse race, when such wagering or betting takes place on the day on which such race is to be run and in an enclosure which the stewards controlling such race have with the sanction of the State Government set apart for the purpose but does not include a lottery. Gambling also includes ‘Boli,’ which is played among a group of people for a certain tenure. An equal amount is first collected at one lot, and part of that collected money is taken by one member on “Boli” (bid). Subsequently, this game rotates in like manner or any similar other game.	Setting birds and animals to fight on public streets	Lottery
The Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2015	Gambling means wagering or betting on games of chance but does not include betting or wagering on games of skill.	Not mentioned	Action, Bridge, Binary Options, Chess, Nap, Poker, Quiz, Rummy, Spades, Solitaire, Sudoku Virtual Golf, Virtual racing games including virtual horse racing, virtual car racing, etc., Virtual Sports including virtual Soccer, virtual Cricket, virtual Archery, virtual snooker / bridge / pool, Virtual Fighting, Virtue wrestling, Virtue boxing, Virtue combat games, Virtual adventures games, Virtual mystery and detective games, Virtual stock/monopoly games, Virtual team selection games, Virtual sports fantasy league games
The Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2022	Any transaction by which a person, in any capacity whatever, employs to wager or bet another in any capacity whatever, or for another in any capacity whatever appoints to wager or bet with another person shall be deemed to be gambling.	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022	“Online gambling” means online wagering or betting and includes playing any online game of chance for money or other stakes in any manner.	Poker, Rummy	Not mentioned

We did not include some of the Acts in this article as they concerned provisions for levying tax on entertainment, amusements, and certain forms of betting related to lottery and casinos, were struck down by High Courts, dealt only with penalty enhancement, and were not related to gambling.

Definition of Gambling

The Public Gambling Act of 1867 has not defined gambling. It, however, specified that nothing contained in the provisions of this Act shall apply to any game of mere skill wherever played. ¹

Some of the Acts do not define the term “gambling.”^2–6 The definition of the term gambling across the different Acts has been summarized in Table 1. It seems that the most recent Acts—The Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2015; The Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2022; The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022—are based on a different framework; the rest of the Acts are based mainly on The Public Gambling Act 1867.

The Recency of the Acts on Gambling

As mentioned earlier, the first Act on gambling was enacted in 1867 and was called “The Public Gambling Act 1867.” Of the 25 state Acts that we could identify, 5 were enacted in the pre-Independence era, and 15 were enacted between 1947 and 1975. Four of the Acts were enacted in the current century, with the most recent being in the year 2022.^7–10 Of these, one (The Arunachal Pradesh Gambling [Prohibition] Act, 2012) was enacted in the year 2012. ⁷ In addition, one Act (with a changed title) was an amendment to the Act enacted in 1977 that was later amended in the year 2012. ¹¹

Most of the gambling-related Acts in the country were drafted in twentieth century. The gambling landscape has changed over the years, particularly in the current century. Given that most of the existing regulatory framework dates back to the last century, it is expected that more recent changes would have needed to be addressed. Only four Acts on gambling have been enacted in the current century. The newer Acts have attempted to incorporate the more recent developments around gambling. For example, The Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2015; The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022; and The Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2022 specifically mention the online activities and platforms in the context of gambling.^8–10 The Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2015 and The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022 also refer to virtual currencies besides real money.

Amendments/Updates to the Acts on Gambling

Amendments were made to the Public Gambling Act of 1867 while it was implemented in different states. These included the states of Madhya Pradesh (1927, 1950, 1958, 1976), Himachal Pradesh (1976), Punjab (1929, 1960), and Uttar Pradesh (1917, 1919, 1925, 1938, 1952).

Of the 25 state Acts included in this article, various were amended. These were for the state of Andhra Pradesh (enacted in 1974 and amended in 2020), Gujarat (enacted in 1887 and amended on multiple occasions, latest being in the year 2003), Jammu and Kashmir (enacted in 1920 and amended in 1966 and 1977), Kerala (enacted in 1960 and amended in 1973, 2005, and 2021), Maharashtra (enacted in 1887, amended on multiple occasions, latest being 2012), Rajasthan (enacted in 1949 and amended in 1957), Tamil Nadu (enacted in 1930 and amended in 2021 and 2022), Telangana (enacted in 1974 [as part of the state of Andhra Pradesh] and amended in 2017).

The Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act, 1976 was amended in 1979. The Goa Public Gambling (Amendment) Act was introduced in 2003 and amended in 2012. The Goa Public Gambling (Amendment) Bill was introduced in 2021. The state of Chhattisgarh repealed and replaced the Public Gambling Act 1867 with the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2022. ⁸

Only a few of the Acts were amended in the last 10 years. Many issues specific to gambling have emerged in the past decade. Since most of the Acts were not amended recently, these issues have yet to be addressed or incorporated into them. These include online gambling and a clear and objective demarcation between gaming and gambling, among others.

The evolving gambling landscape calls for periodic review of the regulatory framework to ensure it meets the demands of the times.

Specific Gambling Activities and Activities That Are Exempted from Gambling

The different Acts specify certain activities that are considered gambling. In addition, some activities have been exempted from being labeled as gambling. These have been summarized in Table 1.

There is considerable heterogeneity across the different Acts regarding specific activities that have been listed as gambling. Setting bird or animal fights is listed as the specific activity across most of the Acts. Some Acts do not mention any specific activity, such as gambling.

Similarly, the specific activities that have been exempted from the Act also vary across the Acts. While some Acts do not mention any specific activities as exempted, the lottery is the most often exempted activity across the different Acts. One of the Acts has specifically exempted fantasy sports. ¹⁰ The gambling potential of fantasy sports remains debatable.^12–14

Use of Wagering Money and Monetary Gains for Identifying Gambling

The term “wagering” is often used in the context of gambling. At times, gambling and betting are used interchangeably with wagering. It has been proposed that wagering includes gambling and betting. Gambling entails the occurrence or nonoccurrence of an unpredictable event. An important distinction between betting and gambling is that in gambling, the stakes or wager is placed on an event without any clue of the outcome, whereas in betting, the stakes are placed on an event, the outcome of which is based on the performance of the players, influenced by their skill.

Most of the Acts in India use the term wagering to describe gambling, although the description of the term is not uniform across the different Acts. Table 1 provides the description and definition of wagering used across these Acts.

Since most state Acts use the term wagering to describe gambling, there is no demarcation between betting and gambling in these Acts, although the two have been described as distinct from each other.

The Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2015 specifically mentions that gambling does not include betting or wagering on games of skill. However, the judiciary, in the past, has observed that playing skill-based games for money in the virtual space renders them illegal. ¹⁵ The Odisha Prevention of Gambling Act, 1955; The Assam Game and Betting Act, 1970; the Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974; and The Telangana Gaming Act, 1974 do not contain the games of skill exception and accordingly do not allow any game to be played for monetary stakes.

Although the Acts have mentioned the possibility of monetary gains while defining wagering, they have not been used separately as a criterion to identify the activity as gambling. Proof for playing for stakes is unnecessary for conviction as per many Acts, including the Public Gambling Act and other Acts such as Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887; The Jammu and Kashmir Public Gambling Act, 1920; Tripura Gambling Act, 1926; The Odisha Prevention of Gambling Act; 1955, The West Bengal Gambling and Prize Competitions Act, 1957; Kerala Gaming Act, 1960; The Puducherry Gaming Act, 1965; The Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974; The Goa Public Gambling (Amendment) Act, 2012; and The Arunachal Pradesh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2012.

Status of Online Gambling Across the Acts

Of the 25 state Acts, only a few have commented on online gambling.^{8,10,12,16,17} The rest did not specifically mention online gambling. The Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974 (amended in 2020); The Telangana Gaming Act, 1974 (amended in 2017); The Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2015; and The Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2023 comment specifically on online gambling. The Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act of 2023 describes what is meant by online gambling and specifically mentions the penalty for online gambling. The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022 has included online gambling in its title. It also defines/describes “online gambling” and “online gambling service.” The Kerala Gaming (Amendment) Act of 2005 refers to online lotteries and “central computer servers.”

The Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974 (amended in 2020), The Telangana Gaming Act, 1974 (amended in 2017), and The Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2023 include cyberspace as a possible site for a gaming house (The Chhattisgarh Gambling [Prohibition] Act, 2023 uses the term gambling house).^8,16,17

Use of Skill Versus Chance Paradigm for Identifying Gambling

Many of the Acts on gambling have commented on the games of skills and games of chance. Some of the Acts have specified that the provisions of the Act shall not be applicable to the games of skill. The Public Gambling Act of 1867 mentions that none of the provisions of the Act shall apply to any game of mere skill whenever played.

The Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887; The Jammu and Kashmir Public Gambling Act, 1920; Tripura Gambling Act,1926; The Delhi Public Gambling Act,1955; The West Bengal Gambling and Prize Competitions Act, 1957; Kerala Gaming Act, 1960; The Puducherry Gaming Act, 1965; The Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act,1976; The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act, 1976; The Public Gambling (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Act, 1976; and The Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2022 mention that the provisions of the respective Act shall not apply to any game of mere skill wherever played.

Some of the Acts have described the games of skill and games of chance. For example, The Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2015 specified that the games of skill shall include all such games where there is preponderance of skill over chance, including where the skill relates to strategizing the manner of placing wagers or placing bets or where the skill lies in team selection or selection of virtual stocks based on analyses or where the skill relates to the manner in which the moves are made, whether through deployment of physical or mental skill and acumen. ¹⁰

The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022 has specified that the online game of chance includes any online game that involves both an element of chance and an element of skill, and the element of chance dominates over the element of skill; or involves an element of chance that can be eliminated only by superlative skill; is a game that is presented as involving an element of chance; or involves cards, dice, wheel or such other device, which works on the random outcome or event generator. ⁹

The Arunachal Pradesh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2012 does not include the game that is being played occasionally without involving any money and merely for the sake of entertainment or any game played for a specific period on the eve of any festival after obtaining due permission from the competent authority. ⁷

The Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974 and The Telangana Gaming Act, 1974 do not make a demarcation between the games of skill and games of chance in this context, and the provisions of the Act are applicable to playing for making money; any Act of risking money, or otherwise on the unknown result of an event including on a game of skill.

There is an ongoing debate on skill versus chance in the context of gambling and gaming. Some countries consider it a chance if the outcome is determined partially or wholly by chance. Other countries like Israel consider chance if the outcome is predominantly determined by chance. Nevertheless, many other countries, including India, need to define the difference between skill and chance. Also, the description and definition of the same vary across the Acts where the distinction has been provided. While the Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2015 included the skill related to strategizing the manner of placing wagers or placing bets as games of skill, the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022 does not refer to wagers and bets in the description of games of skill.^9,10 The Odisha Prevention of Gambling Act, 1955; The Assam Game and Betting Act, 1970; The Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974; and The Telangana Gaming Act, 1974 do not contain the games of skill exception.

The Indian Law Commission defined “games” of chance as those where the winner is predominantly determined by luck; the result of the game is entirely uncertain, and a person is unable to influence such result by his mental or physical skill, and the game of skill is influenced by the expertise, knowledge, and training of the player. ¹⁵

Interestingly, while ICD-11 has not defined gambling, it makes a mention of wagering in the context of gambling. However, it does not include the skill versus chance paradigm to demarcate gaming from gambling. We have previously commented on the lack of a clear definition of “gaming” in ICD-11.^18,19

Not only have newer activities emerged throughout the last couple of decades, but with the advent of online gambling, there has also been a paradigm shift. The growing popularity of gaming has added a newer dimension that has necessitated a nuanced approach. This warrants a review and amendments to the regulatory framework on gambling across the country. Currently, the distinction between gambling and gaming has been commented upon only in certain Acts. Moreover, given a lack of standardized and objective tests for differentiating between the two, the demarcation in the context of a particular Activity remains subject to interpretation.

The need for more objective and uniform criteria for deciding on the elements of chance and skill involved in any activity remains open to interpretation. Such variation in the interpretation is reflected in some of the judgments in the past where similar activities were interpreted differently in the context of them being gambling or not. Interestingly, this is critical as the legal status of activity as gambling also impacts the psychiatric diagnosis in case the person meets the criteria for an addictive behavior. ²⁰

Some state Acts have recognized the game of skill exception but have had judicial precedents on offering games of skill for monetary stakes. While the Supreme Court categorized rummy as a game of skill in the Satyanarayan case, certain state judiciaries (of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Gujarat) have passed judgments that risk making the game of rummy (when played with stakes) illegal.

Demarcation of Gambling from Gaming

Many of the Acts have made a demarcation between the games of skill and games of chance. However, as mentioned earlier, operationalization or any test of demarcation between the two has yet to be described. Two state Acts have specifically mentioned some demarcation between the terms “gambling” and “gaming.” In The Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2015, games of skills that got licensed are referred to as “games,” whereas gambling refers to wagering/betting on games of chance. In the Act, there is also room for adding more games of skill if they get a license from the government. ¹⁰ The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022 defines online games as those played on electronic media and digital devices. In addition, online gambling includes wagering, betting, and games of chance played online. ⁹

Conclusion

In conclusion, many interesting and important themes emerged while reviewing the Acts. Significant heterogeneity across the Acts, a lack of a clear and objective definition of gambling, limited amendments to the Acts over the years, limited focus on online gambling, and limited demarcation between gambling and gaming are some of the key areas that need to be addressed going ahead. The regulatory framework on gambling needs to be amended to address these issues.