State passes India’s landmark bill allowing games of skill

A state in India has passed a bill that could pave the way for regulated online rummy and poker websites in the country.

The legislative assembly of Nagaland recently passed the Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion of Online Games of Skill Bill 2015, becoming the first legislation in the country that addresses the issue of games of skill such as poker, rummy and fantasy sports, local media reported.

Introduced in July 2015, the bill states that “games of skill can be played for real money and a profit or gain can be derived from it” as long as a license is obtained from the state government, according to a Swarajya Magazine report.

Included in its list of skill games are chess, poker rummy, Sudoku, nap, virtual golf, quizzes, and virtual sport fantasy league games.