Sakina Tashrifwala
Published on: November 2, 2022 at 20:45 IST
The Rajasthan Government has notified the High Court that legislation to combat the issue of online gaming and betting has been written and is currently before the competent authority.
The submission was made by the state’s counsel before a bench of then-Acting Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice Vinod Kumar Bharwani, which was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea filed to seek the formulation of appropriate legislation to combat the menace of online gambling and betting.
After taking note of the case submission, the Court proceeded to dismiss the plea by leaving the subject open for the State to consider.
“We merely note the statement of learned counsel for the State that the State has drafted a draught bill and the subject is under review,” the Court said while dismissing the plea.
It should be noted that the Rajasthan Government has created a draught bill to combat the problem of online gambling, titled the Rajasthan Virtual Online Sports (Regulation) Bill, which would be introduced in May 2022.
According to the proposed legislation, a Virtual Online Sports Commission will be established to govern online gaming operations in the state, and violators will face fines of up to Rs. 2 lakh for licence and advertising violations.
The proposed bill aims to regulate fantasy sports and esports, but it excludes skill games like Rummy, Poker, and Ludo.