The Bombay High Court, under Chief Justice DK Upadhyay, recently questioned the state government on whether it considered rummy played over the internet to be a game of chance or skill. TThis PIL has once again ignited debate regarding the legality of online gaming in India, in particular, on whether some games could be classified as gambling to be regulated appropriately.The PIL and the Key Concerns A social worker, who had raised concern about the growing popularity of online rummy platforms which, he lamented, have tended to contribute to gambling addiction and financial ruin for many, mainly among the young, petitioned the court urging immediate steps to regulate or ban online rummy, which he averred was more or less a game of chance. The petitioner noted that aggressive marketing strategies devised by these online platforms are attracting people into playing online rummy. Celebrity endorsement is one of the common promotional tools along with ads presented in a glamorizing way as if it were easy money. In this manner, according to the petitioner, it pushes people into diseconomies, addiction, and social poisoning primarily among the lower income levels who tend to be more vulnerable to the dark effects of gaming. Legal Background: Skill vs. Chance The Indian judicial system has often made such distinctions regarding games like rummy, poker, and fantasy sports. As a background, Indian law distinguishes between games of skill and games of chance. Generally, games of skill have not been regarded as gambling and have therefore commonly been allowed, whereas games of chance have been regarded as gambling and, as such, have been subject to more restrictive regulation or even prohibition. The heart of the matter is whether rummy involves a reasonable degree of skill or whether it is more or less a game of chance. The petitioner's plea was that online rummy, in its digital avatar, reduces the factor of skill to near-game-of-chance status. The main contention proceeds with the principle that virtual space reduces human discretion and strategizing, fundamental elements of games of skill. Government's Role The Court's Inquiry The Bombay high court has now sought clarification from the Maharashtra government on what its stand is regarding the legal status of online rummy. The argument of this inquiry into the matter is that its verdict will finally decide whether the websites operating online rummy fall into the ambit of state gaming laws, which means stricter restriction or an outright ban on the said site. The Court further clarified as to whether such a legal framework presently existing would be able to address the social cause of harm caused by online gaming platforms. The Maharashtra government would then be required to evaluate the impact that online rummy would make in society and present its response by stating whether it holds the game of rummy to be predominantly one of skill or one of luck and chance. The response to this would potentially form the start of a new set of legislation or rules surrounding online gaming.