September 3 brought a bad news for online gaming enthusiasts in Andhra Pradesh as the state government declared a ban online games like rummy and poker on the grounds that these games were misleading the youth. The state cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy banned all forms of online gambling, Information Minister Perni Venkataramaiah said.
Talking to reporters at the end of the cabinet meeting, the Minister gave the reason for the ban, saying that online gambling has become a vice that was damaging the youth by ‘misleading’ them. “So we have decided to ban all such online gambling to protect the youth,” Venkataramaiah said.
As per the decision, organisers of online gambling would be jailed for a year along with a fine for a first time offence. The jail term would extend upto two years with fine for the second offence. Also, those caught playing the online games would attract a jail term of six months, the minister added.