Karnataka Government Considering Regulating Online Gambling
On Monday, the state government of Karnataka announced that it is considering plans to regulate the rapidly growing online gambling industry, as per a report in Udayavani.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj in Government of Karnataka, KS Eshwarappa tweeted on Monday that the state’s government will review and take action against the issues caused by online gambline.
Tweet:
ಈ Online Gambling ಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸಮಗ್ರವಾಗಿ ಪರಶೀಲಿಸಿ ಮುಂದಿನ ಕ್ರಮದ ಕುರಿತು ಚಿಂತಿಸಲಾಗುವುದು.
— K S Eshwarappa (@ikseshwarappa) August 23, 2020
Translation of the tweet: “A comprehensive review of these online gamblings will be considered in the next step.”
This step from the Karnataka government comes after some online campaigns surfaced on the internet on the problems caused by online gambling and how many are losing thousands of rupees on such activities.
In the lockdown period that ensued from the start of the spread of the pandemic in India in March this year, many online gambling companies have witnessed a growth in the number of players. This has led to increase in their marketing spend to attract more users.
The Karnataka government has been taking progressive steps towards regulating online betting and gambling. Recently, the Karnataka state government gave an in-principle approval to the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) to conduct online betting as per the existing Act and Rules.
While, on one hand, the Karnataka government is mulling over regulating online gambling, there have been appeals from Tamil Nadu leaders, like Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi leader and Legislator M. Thamimun Ansari, to ban apps like PUBG and Online Rummy that pose danger to the society and the young generation.
However, last month, the Madras High Court suggested that the Tamil Nadu government should pass legislation to regulate online games like rummy, poker, and ludo.
