Indian politician calls for better igaming regulations in Tamil Nadu
Doctor Anbumani Ramadoss, President of the Pattali Makkal Katchi party in Tamil Nadu, India, has called for the Tamil Nadu government to take more action to prevent igaming.
In a statement through his X account on Sunday, Ramadoss claimed that 77 people have committed suicide because of igaming since the Dravida Munnestra Kazhagam party came to power in the region.
He added that 27 people had committed suicide in the past year and a half, while identifying a woman from the Mittnakuppam village in the Thirupathur district, Vennila, as the 10th person to die in the past three months because of igaming.
Ramadoss provided no evidence for these claims, but said, “the government has the responsibility to stop online gambling.”
Ramadoss also mentioned that while stricter regulations on igaaming have been introduced in Tamil Nadu, such as the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act 2022, the government has failed to implement them.
The act was then expanded with the introduction of The Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority Regulation 2025, which covered all “online real money games,” defined as games in which a user deposits cash with the expectation of earning winnings.
These laws are being appealed by A23, the parent company of operators like Head Digital Works, Games 24×7 and Junglee Games, all igaming providers.
