Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate is under fire after a video surfaced allegedly showing him playing rummy on his phone during a legislative session. The opposition accuses the government of being insensitive to farmers' issues.
Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate was shifted from the agriculture ministry to the sports and youth welfare department in a late-night reshuffle. Dattatrey Bharne will be the new agriculture minister. The reshuffle comes after Kokate faced controversy for playing online rummy during a legislative council session and allegedly equating farmers with beggars.
India has nearly 490 million online gamers, and an estimated Rs 10,000 crore is spent every month on online gaming transactions.
RMG firms Dream11, Games24x7, Gameskraft and MPL lost unicorn status after the gaming ban while fintech players led 11 new unicorns added in 2025.
Head Digital Works, operator of 'A23 Rummy', has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court against the recently passed Central Act banning money-based online games, marking the first legal challenge to the legislation. The court will hear the petition on August 30.
'The essence of RMG is that users participate in skill-based games for financial reward, so this law would directly affect this operating model for both users and gaming companies.'
The Madras high court on Thursday declined to declare the entire Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022, as ultra vires the Constitution and held rummy and poker as 'games of skill.'
The Enforcement Directorate has filed a money laundering case to look into the role of more than two dozen celebrities, including actors like Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati and Prakash Raj, apart from some social media influencers and YouTubers in Telangana as part of a money laundering probe against certain online betting platforms, official sources said on Thursday.
The Enforcement Directorate has filed a money laundering case to investigate the role of celebrities, including actors Vijay Deverakonda and Rana Daggubati, in promoting online betting platforms.
What has surprised the industry is that the Bill has been tabled without any consultation. Critics warn the ban on real-money gaming could fuel black markets, endanger 200,000 jobs and billions in tax revenue.
The Indian government has introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to ban online games played with money, aiming to curb addiction, money laundering, and financial fraud. The bill also targets advertisements and financial transactions related to such games.
'There is responsibility to make great games that are played by audiences, that fill the gap from an entertainment perspective.'
In 2025 alone, at least 50 suicides linked to online gambling losses have been reported across India. According to FIRs, the victims were addicted to betting, largely driven by cricket, rummy and poker.
The Raj Bhavan has returned a bill banning online rummy to the Tamil Nadu assembly for its reconsideration, official sources said in Chennai on Wednesday.
Fair trade regulator CCI on Thursday ordered a probe against Google and its affiliates for alleged unfair business practices with respect to listing of real money gaming apps on Play Store. While passing the order, CCI said the "the Commission directs the Director General ('DG') to cause an investigation to be made into the matter under the provisions of Section 26(1) of the Act".
These games of skill with a large social component have managed the transition to a new online avatar.
Vijay Sethupathi's Rummy -- directed by debutant Balakrishnan -- is an engaging village-based dark romantic thriller set in the 1980s.
In a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday, the Tamil Nadu government decided to pass again a bill in the assembly to ban online gambling and send it to Governor R N Ravi once more for his assent.
The Madras high court had said in its 2021 judgment that a new law to ban online gambling may be enacted by the government and this made it clear that the state legislature is competent to pass a Bill to ban online rummy, Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathy said in Chennai on Thursday.
'It was the toughest of roles because he had to change quickly behind the sofa and come out in the next dress!'
The bench declared as unconstitutional, Part II of the TN Gaming & Police Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, which banned betting or wagering in cyberspace and also games of skill if played for a wager, bet, money or other stakes.
The teen patti game on social network portal Ibibo is being played by thousands of users daily.
Queenie Hallegua, who passed away at 89 in August, was almost the last of the Sephardi Jews in Fort Kochi. Her son Dr David Hallegua reflects on his mother's death and of his life growing up in Kerala.
'All through the making of Dil Daulat Aur Duniya, Rajesh Khanna never acknowledged me.' 'Dev Anand couldn't carry off a dhoti in Insaaniyat. He told me that he would never wear one again.' 'Shammi Kapoor and I began on an icy note during Raajkumar, but once the cold vibes thawed, we became the best of buddies.'
Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi has given his assent to a bill banning online gambling which was adopted in March by the state assembly for a second time, official sources said on Monday.
Dream 11 all set to replace BYJUs as Indian team's principal jersey sponsor
The Director General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) has slapped its heftiest tax notice of Rs 21,000 crore on Bengaluru-based Gameskraft Technology (GTPL) for allegedly evading GST on the betting amount. Gameskraft has dubbed the notice a "departure from the well-established law of the land". The company is accused of promoting online betting through card, casual and fantasy games like Rummy Culture, Gamezy and Rummy Time.
E-sports experts say the burgeoning sector will not be affected by the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council's recent decision to levy a blanket 28 per cent tax on online gaming, which is being viewed by the industry as a death blow to gaming companies.
The Tamil Nadu assembly on Thursday once again unanimously adopted the bill to ban online gambling, weeks after state Governor R N Ravi had returned it to the government for its reconsideration.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, which is likely to meet in the third or fourth week of June, is set to clear the operational framework of the much-awaited GST appellate tribunal, which will deal with tax disputes and streamline resolution. "The final blueprint, mainly the operational part, is expected to be presented in the GST Council meeting for approval. "This will pave the way for the tribunal to be functional, both at the central and state levels," said a senior government official, who expects the tribunal to be up and running by November.
'It is very rare, particularly in our film industry, for a couple to be so devoted to one another.'
Meet Nilima Kalra, 79, Manju Roy, 80, Sumita Maan, 79, and Gurpreet Kaur, 75.
The industry came under scrutiny after the proliferation of games like cards, casinos, and fantasy sports among young people led to addiction and financial losses, with some reported cases of suicide.
The Karnataka Cabinet on Saturday decided to impose a ban on online gambling or betting. However, lottery and horse racing have not been prohibited.
Online skill-based gaming industry has made a case for retaining the service under 18 per cent GST slab instead of putting it into the highest 28 per cent tax rate category, saying the move will badly hit the $2.2-billion sector. The increase in taxation would not only have catastrophic impact on the industry but also encourage offshore operators who would circumvent Indian tax jurisdiction by hosting games in some other country, Games24x7 Co-CEO Trivikraman Thampy said. "It would be a triple whammy -- the industry loses out, the government loses out on tax revenue and players loses out as they would be exposed to unscrupulous operators," he said.
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday issued notice to India cricket captain Virat Kohli and the state government in a plea seeking ban on online gambling in the state.
'There is pent-up demand for cricket after last year when no tournaments were played on Indian soil due to the pandemic.'
Even as the gaming industry battles multiple regulations in different Indian states, it has received more than double the amount of investment this year compared to 2020. Industry watchers attribute this to the growing popularity of gaming, spurred by the pandemic, and the innovative business models gaming firms have built. According to data from industry tracker Venture Intelligence, investment in India's gaming sector in 2021 has more than doubled to $794 million, as against a total investment of $339 million last year. In 2019, this number was $176 million. Marquee investors such as Tiger Global (Dream11), Sequoia Capital India (Mobile Premier League), WinZO (Griffin Capital Partners), Tencent (Dream11) and Matrix Partners (Zupee) have pumped money into the sector.
Most Indian fathers still want their children to study at the IITs and IIMs and draw a six-figure salary.
Sukanya Verma shows you some indoor games you could try out.
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