AIGF v Tamil Nadu (2022 Act upheld, rummy and poker Schedule struck, Madras HC 2023): Allegations, Court Orders and Status

What this case is about

All India Gaming Federation and others v State of Tamil Nadu and others is a constitutional challenge decided by the High Court of Judicature at Madras in W.P. Nos. 13203, 13593, 13720, 13722 and 14704 of 2023, then appealed to the Supreme Court of India.

The petitioners attacked the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act 2022 (Act 9 of 2023).

They challenged the Act's Schedule, which lists rummy and poker as games of chance, and Sections 2(i), 2(l)(iv), 7 and 10. The case belongs to the licensing and administrative court cases in which operators contest state gambling laws.

Who is covered

The petitioners are All India Gaming Federation, Gameskraft Technologies Pvt Ltd and Vikas Taneja, Play Games 24x7, Head Digital Works and Junglee Games. The respondents are the State of Tamil Nadu and the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu.

The Supreme Court ruling decides which online games for stakes can be offered in Tamil Nadu. For the national picture, see gambling lawsuits in India.

Is there a payout?

No payout exists in this case. It tests the validity of a state statute, and the record shows no fund, no claim process and no amount in rupees.

Players are not parties, and no court ordered any operator to pay anyone.

What the court decided

After Junglee Games, Tamil Nadu appointed the Justice K. Chandru committee on 10 June 2022, which reported on 27 June 2022. The Act was enacted on 7 April 2023.

On 9 November 2023 a Division Bench of the Madras High Court (Sanjay V. Gangapurwala CJ and P.D. Audikesavalu J) upheld the Act but set aside the Schedule. It read Sections 2(i) and 2(l)(iv) down to games of chance, so rummy and poker could not be banned. It upheld the Section 10 registration requirement.

On 27 May 2026 the Supreme Court allowed the State's appeal (SLP (C) Nos. 1588-1592 of 2024, Civil Appeal Nos. 8275-8279 of 2026). It declared Sections 2(i), 2(l)(iv) and the Schedule intra vires, which reinstates the ban on online rummy and poker for stakes in Tamil Nadu.

On 15 October 2026 the Supreme Court dismissed the request for review of that judgment. As of 14 November 2026 that dismissal is the latest order in the record, and the record names no next hearing.

Why it matters

The Supreme Court reversed the High Court on the point the 2023 judgment had treated as settled: whether rummy and poker can be listed as games of chance. The headline of the High Court ruling no longer describes the law.

Operators and players in Tamil Nadu now face the ban on online rummy and poker for stakes. The follow-on disputes are listed below.

Related cases

• Junglee Games India Pvt Ltd v State of Tamil Nadu: the earlier Madras High Court case, shown as appealed.
• State of Tamil Nadu v Junglee Games India Pvt Ltd: the 2026 Supreme Court judgment that also covers the Karnataka and All India Gaming Federation appeals.
• Play Games 24x7 Pvt Ltd v State of Tamil Nadu: a challenge to the TNOGA Real Money Games Regulations 2025.

Questions people ask

Did the Madras High Court uphold the Tamil Nadu online gambling law?

Partly. On 9 November 2023 it upheld the Act but set aside the Schedule listing rummy and poker as games of chance. The Supreme Court reversed that part on 27 May 2026.

Is online rummy banned in Tamil Nadu now?

On 27 May 2026 the Supreme Court declared the Schedule and Sections 2(i) and 2(l)(iv) valid, reinstating the ban on online rummy and poker for stakes in Tamil Nadu.

Can players claim money back?

No payout exists in this case. It is a challenge to a statute, not a refund or class action.