Playing Online Rummy is Legal in India?

Rummy is a skill based game wherein players attempt to improve the hand that has been dealt to them at the beginning of the game. This is achieved by either picking up cards from a the stock or by picking up a cards discarded by their opponents.

The Supreme Court, in a 1968 ruling, stated that rummy, being a game of skill, is legal as it requires picking and discarding of cards, which in turn requires intellect as well as the ability to memorize the cards that the other opponents are discarding and choose the ones that will help the player to win, while also calculating one’s odds to win. It is protected under the Constitution of India - Article 19[1](g) and is considered a business activity. The Supreme Court of India, in 1996, has also stated that

●       competition where chances of success depends on significant degree of skill is not considered as ‘gambling’ and

●       despite the fact that there is an element of chance, online rummy is preponderantly a game of skill and, thus, may be considered as a game of ‘mere skill’.

However, ambiguous laws in the states of Assam, Orissa and Telangana prohibit players from these states to play for cash.

The game requires its players to plan, strategize, and observe in order to make sets and sequences, and keen observation to see which cards are being discarded by one’s opponents. In order to master the game, players need to learn its basics and practice hard to become champion players, none of which doesn’t involve chance.