Allahabad High Court Declares Poker and Rummy as Games of Skill

In a landmark decision, the Allahabad High Court ruled that poker and rummy are games of skill, not gambling. The court directed authorities to reconsider and issue a reasoned order, allowing DM Gaming Private Limited to operate these games, overturning earlier denial based on speculative concerns.

In a landmark ruling, the Allahabad High Court has affirmed that poker and rummy are games of skill, rather than gambling activities. The judgement was delivered by a division bench comprising Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Manjeev Shukla, addressing a petition filed by DM Gaming Private Limited.

The petition presented by DM Gaming challenged an earlier decision made by the Agra City Commissionerate, which had denied the company permission to operate poker and rummy as gaming units. The ruling was initially based on concerns that these games could potentially disrupt public peace or be misconstrued as gambling.

Referencing precedents from the Supreme Court and other high courts, the petitioner argued that both poker and rummy require skill and should not be considered gambling. The court underscored the importance of not making decisions based on conjecture and directed the authorities to conduct a thorough reassessment, ensuring their decision is backed by concrete evidence.

The bench stressed that refusal to permit such gaming activities must be grounded in facts and reiterated that the authorities can still monitor for illegal activities without denying legitimate requests. The authorities have been instructed to reconsider the case and issue a reasoned order within six weeks, allowing the petitioner an opportunity to be heard.

(With inputs from agencies.)