India: Karnataka State Government to Ban Online Gambling

The Karnataka Government has decided to ban online gambling or betting by amending the Karnataka Police Act, 1963.

The ban, however, would not include lottery or betting on horse races, said Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J.C. Madhuswamy, briefing the media on the decisions taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The decision was taken following the High Court of Karnataka repeatedly asking the State government to take a stand on online betting, Mr. Madhuswamy clarified.

The Cabinet approved a draft Bill to amend the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, and the Bill would be introduced in the coming session of the State legislature beginning on September 13.

The draft Bill defined online games as “involving all forms of wagering or betting including in the form of tokens valued in terms of money paid before or after the issue of it, or electronic means and virtual currency, electronic transfer of funds in connection with any game of chance.”