In a landmark judgment, the Allahabad High Court recognized that poker and rummy are games of skill, not gambling. A division bench led by Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Manjeev Shukla passed the judgment on Wednesday, September 4.
The decision came following a petition was filed by M/S DM Gaming Pvt Ltd, the company behind the Golden Aces, a pioneer in India’s live poker scene. The gaming company earlier challenged an order from the Agra City Commissionerate, which denied a license to operate a gaming unit that includes poker and rummy.
A legal dispute arose on whether poker and rummy should be classified as games of chance or games of skill. The petitioner argued that the denial issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, City Commissionerate of Agra on January 24, 2024, was merely based on the presumption that these games are harmful to society or be considered gambling.
The court upheld poker as a skill game, allowing Golden Aces to open its new poker room in Agra. This decision aligns with other recent rulings in India, making way for a new era in Indian gaming and opening doors for several operators to expand the game’s presence in the country.
During the hearing, the petitioner cited several judgments, such as 1968 The State Vs. K. Satyanarayana, the recent 2020 Junglee Games India Private Limited Vs. The state of Tamil Nadu, and said that Rummy and Poker are games involving skill and not gambling.
After hearing both sides, the court stated, “In light of the fact that gambling is prohibited, the permission was denied without going into the aspect that card games (Rummy and Poker) are absolutely a game of skill and not gambling.”
The court directed the authority to reconsider the issue and pass a reasoned order after granting an opportunity to hear the petitioner in the next six weeks. The court also made it clear that granting permission won’t prevent the authorities from monitoring any chances of illegal gambling activities.
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