In many states, gambling laws continue to be modelled on a pre-independence law, the Public Gambling Act, 1867 ( Old Act), which is not geared to deal with modern forms of gaming. Sikkim and Nagaland require a license for online games. In Kerala, there is a government notification which exempts rummy from gambling if no side-betting is involved. In West Bengal, games of bridge, poker and rummy are excluded from the definition of gambling. For example, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have banned online games. This means there are numerous state-specific deviations. The Constitution of India empowers each state to make its own gambling laws. India does not have a unified law that deals with gaming or gambling (both terms are largely interchangeable for the purposes of Indian laws). Added to the mix is a set of unfortunate recent incidents where players committed suicide after losing money in online games and one where a gaming platform was investigated for money laundering, resulting in some Indian states banning online games. The answer is unfortunately not a clear one, given India's archaic and complicated legal framework on gaming.

Amidst the buzz, a natural question is whether online games are legal in India or not.