Is poker Legal in India?
Hello Poker Lovers! India is one of the budding nations when
it comes to the terms of playing onlinepoker. The signs are positive that
this trend will continue. There are already loads of new poker sites in the
making and live tournaments have increased in frequency as well. The impact is obvious
from the rise in demand for quality game content in India.
Poker Lion has gone through great lengths to ensure that the
games offered on our newly launched site such as the Texas Hold’em Poker, Omaha Poker are games which involve ample
skills.
The public gambling act of India, 1857 mandates that any
games which are in form of betting or “game of chance” is liable to punishment.
The game of Poker is globally recognised to be a game which needs a high level
of intellect and mental prowess. The poker experts globally have accepted that
the poker involves large degree of skill. In India, gaming legislations in all
states with the exemption of Assam, Odisha, Telangana and Gujarat exempt “games
of skill or “games of mere skill” from the definition of gambling.Playing poker games in Poker Lion, implies you can play them
as a game of skill at according to law it is considered legal.
Various Supreme Court judgments have noted that poker as
games of skill is a fundamental right under the Indian constitution and
consequently games of skill cannot be prohibited.
The High Courts of Karnataka and Calcutta have noted that
police or law enforcement authorities cannot interfere in the game of poker.
Based on this legal background, various legal experts and jurists have opined
that online poker is completely
legal in India.
Poker Lion complies with all laws and regulations applicable
to online games of skill. We will further comply with any change in this
present legal position due to any order of a court of competent jurisdiction,
regulatory body, central or state government or law enforcement agency.
This is though an ongoing process with litigations pending
at different forums and we are keeping a close watch on the same. We also have
a legal team working continuously on trying to ensure that there is to a
greater extent clarity and certainty in the laws linked to the poker gaming in
India. We are also engaged in litigations to bring about this clarity in law
and while Poker Lion has taken every precaution possible to remain absolutely
legal.
We allow players from all states and union territories in
India except Assam, Odisha, Telangana and Gujarat. Due to the peculiar wording
of gaming legislations in these states, at present, we do not permit residents
of these states to play online pokerreal money games at Poker Lion.

Comments
Post a Comment