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Three Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) have been filed in the Supreme Court against the April 2019 order of the Bombay High Court holding Dream11 to be a game of skill and approving the company’s manner of payment of Goods and Services Tax (GST). Through its order, the division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising... (See Article)

Shri H. Vasanthakumar, an Indian National Congress (INC) MP from Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu on Tuesday urged the government to ban online games such as Blue Whale, PUBG, and Rummy. He cited in Lok Sabha that such games have adverse effects on mental and physical health of children. He, in an address to the Hon. Speaker... (See Article)

The Meghalaya Cabinet approved the rules for state lottery on Monday. The rules define how the lottery will be conducted in the state to help the state generate revenues. Meghalaya will finally revive the state Lottery after it was shut down in 2005. In the year 2017, the then Chief Minister of Meghalaya announced that... (See Article)

Contrary to several previous assertions by the Goa government under erstwhile Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar as well as current Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, no final decision has been taken so far on shifting offshore casinos to an alternative location or notification of a Goa casino policy. According to a report in local daily Navhind Times,... (See Article)

Pure Casino has entered the Indian market to join the repertoire of top online casinos in the country. With it’s rich history in quality gaming, the brand has launched its web and mobile-based iGaming platforms in India. This online casino in Indian Rupees hosts casino and live casino games including Indian Games, Western Table Games... (See Article)

On November 14, 2019, almost a decade after the initial public offering of Electrosteel Steels Limited (Electrosteel), the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) delivered its judgment in Electrosteel Steels Limited v. Securities and Exchange Board of India[1] (the SAT Order). It partially upheld the judgment dated March 31, 2016 (SEBI Order) of the adjudicating officer of... (See Article)

Indian Rummy was derived from games like 500 Rum or Gin Rummy that originated in the United States. It is a card melding game in which 13 cards are melded into Sets and Sequences of 3 to 4 cards to make a winning hand. These days, you can play rummy online on various paid and... (See Article)

Dream11’s parent company Sporta Technologies is launching live streaming of National Basketball Association (NBA) matches in India through its multi-sport app FanCode.  Dream11’s parent company Sporta Technologies Private Limited (earlier known as Dream11 Fantasy Private Limited) is launching live streaming of National Basketball Association (NBA) matches in India through its multi-sport app FanCode.  – FanCode... (See Article)

India Satta Matka is a game of chance. It was originally started in the 60s and involved betting on the opening and closing prices of Cotton issued by the The New York Cotton Exchange. The matka game evolved over time in style of play, legality, revenue, etc. In this article, we will discuss various aspects... (See Article)

A question that comes up regularly in the context of an underlying secondary transaction that triggers an open offer is whether such a transaction can be closed on the stock exchange? This is due to reservations expressed by the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in relation to the interpretation of certain provisions of the... (See Article)

A division bench of the Delhi High Court comprising of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C. Harishankar disposed off two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed by social activist Avinash Mehrotra and lawyer Deepti Bhagat seeking action against offshore online betting websites and local online poker and card game websites. The court through a common... (See Article)

Social gaming and sports content company Nazara Technologies Limited has announced its intention of investing upto US$20 million in select startups in the gaming and sports ecosystem in the Indian sub-continent, Africa and Middle-East over the next one year. The company  aims to act as a catalyst to further expedite growth of gaming; esports and... (See Article)

Yesterday the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a report titled The Religious Freedom Implications of the National Register of Citizens in India. The report says in part: On August 31, 2019, the government of the northeastern Indian state of Assam released an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC), originally introduced in 1951 as... (See Article)

Fifteen of the 16 members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) announced on November 4 the conclusion of negotiations on the text of the mega-regional trade agreement. Only India withheld agreement during the meetings in Bangkok, saying that it would abandon the RCEP until its outstanding concerns are resolved. (See Article)

Industry body All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) kick started the second edition of the ‘Pro Series’ last week, by hosting a knowledge session with international poker operator – PokerStars in Mumbai. The knowledge session highlighted topics like developments in the poker industry, the legal landscape of Poker in India, the importance of self-regulation, responsible gaming and growth... (See Article)

Last Thursday, the House of Representatives Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held hearings on Jammu and Kashmir in Context. The Committee sets out the context: The Indian government’s decision to change the legal status of the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir, announced in August and effective as of October 31, 2019, has attracted intense attention due... (See Article)

A division bench of the Gujarat High Court, comprising of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice AJ Shastri once again adjourned a clutch of letters patent appeals filed by Indian Poker Association Secretary KN Suresh, Dominance Games Private Limited, Aman Chhabra and Hotel Ramada, Ahmedabad against a single judge bench’s order ruling poker to be... (See Article)

Essar Steel judgement of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), which required that the secured financial creditors share recoveries in a resolution plan under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC), inter se (irrespective of the ranking of their security positions) and with the trade creditors, on a pari passu basis, was considered a... (See Article)

In its recent judgment in the case of Jignesh Shah v. Union of India[1] (Jignesh Shah), a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court set aside the NCLAT judgment in the case of Pushpa Shah v. IL&FS Financial Services Limited[2] (NCLAT Judgment) along with the original judgment of the NCLT[3] (NCLT Judgment and, together, La-Fin Judgments).... (See Article)

In 1997, the Supreme Court of India (Supreme Court) pronounced its judgment in the case of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) v. Union of India (SC, 1997) (PUCL Case), which laid the groundwork for the right to privacy in the context of telephonic surveillance (i.e. wiretaps) and constitutional freedoms. This article analyses the Supreme... (See Article)

In M Siddiq (D) Thr Lrs v. Mahant Suresh Das & Ors, (India Supreme Court, Nov. 9, 2019), in an opinion that spans 1,045 pages, the Supreme Court of India ruled on a decades-old dispute over a piece of land claimed by both Hindus and Muslims.  BBC summarized the decision: India’s Supreme Court has ruled that the... (See Article)

In this exclusive interview, serial entrepreneur and IIM Calcutta graduate Paavan Nanda, who founded gaming platform WinZo Games discusses his vision of creating a vernacular esports and digital gaming platform that would cater to the needs of tier 2, 3, 4 and 5 cities in India. Full interview: – Q. You launched the app, earlier... (See Article)

As part of its enforcements, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or months after they are sent. Business owners have 15 days to respond to FDA warning letters. Warning letters often are not issued until a company has... (See Article)

Fantasy sports industry body, the Indian Federation for Sports Gaming (IFSG), announced that former Mumbai police commissioner and Maharashtra DGP, AN Roy, would be joining the organisation as a strategic advisor. Roy joins former Supreme Court judge Justice AK Sikri; former Delhi Daredevils COO Amrit Mathur and former BCCI treasurer Ratnakar Shetty as a member... (See Article)

One of India’s fastest growing quiz platform “Quizistan” is happy to announce its new feature where players are allowed to play against each other 24*7 for real money. The feature is called “Challenge a friend” or “Challenge a Random Person”. You can enter your friends username and send him a challenge. If you don’t have... (See Article)

After social activist Avinash Mehrotra’s PIL to ban online poker and offshore betting websites, another individual, Deepati Bhagat has filed a similar petition in the Delhi High Court seeking a complete ban on poker and similar card games, played online and offline. According to media reports, Bhagat’s petition was heard by a division bench of... (See Article)

Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Sports and Youth Affairs, in an Idea Exchange conversation with The Indian Express unequivocally stated his opposition to legalising sports betting, noting that it is illegal and immoral. Rijiju, when asked about his views on legalising betting in sports, said, “I am against any form... (See Article)

Gambling is a pastime for many all over the world. With the thrill of gambling drawing people back in time and time again, it’s not surprising that it’s one of the highest grossing industries. The global gambling industry is estimated to reach 495 billion US dollars this year. So, where in the world is gambling... (See Article)

India is yet to hit its stride in dealing with Significant Beneficial Owner (SBO) rules introduced by the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017. The SBO rules have its origin in the recommendations made by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to its member countries, to make suitable changes in the national legislation to find out individuals,... (See Article)

The subject of many songs, skits, and social movements, hair discrimination has become a burning issue across the country. From Sesame Street to India Arie, there have been calls to eradicate the social stigma surrounding natural hair for decades. But now, with recent legislation, politicians are starting to follow these trends. They are going from... (See Article)