The Madras High Court has upheld Tamil Nadu’s midnight to 5 AM ban on online real money gaming to curb addiction and prevent loss of lives. The court also supported Aadhaar-based age verification to protect minors from accessing these games.
The Madras High Court on Tuesday supported the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to restrict online real money games from being played between midnight and 5 AM.
This ruling came after online gaming companies challenged the Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (Real Money Games) Regulations 2025, saying these rules were not constitutional.
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The court, in a decision by Justices SM Subramanian and K Rajasekar, agreed with the Tamil Nadu government led by MK Stalin.
The judges said the government has good reasons to control online real money gaming because nearly 50 people have died by suicide due to losing money in these games.
The court also agreed that all online real money game players must go through Aadhaar-based authentication to make sure only adults above 18 years can play these games.
The online gaming companies had argued that the state government should not have made these rules because only the central government has the power to regulate this area.
However, the court dismissed this argument.
the court said in its judgment,
“The state government has placed sufficient material on record to demonstrate the existence of a public health crisis arising from online gaming addiction, leading to financial ruin, mental distress, and tragically, loss of life,”
The court also added,
“In light of the specific and grave situation within Tamil Nadu, exemplified by the reported deaths of at least 47 individuals, the state is well within its powers under the Constitution to enact measures to protect its citizens on grounds of public health and public order.”
The government provided data showing many cases of suicides and severe mental distress caused by huge debts taken on by people who lost money playing online real money games.
This court decision is a big setback for online gaming companies operating in Tamil Nadu.
The ban on gaming during the early hours of the morning (midnight to 5 AM), called “blank hours,” will reduce the time when people can play games, affecting user engagement and the companies’ earnings during these hours.
The requirement to use Aadhaar-based authentication, which is meant to stop minors from playing, also creates more rules for gaming platforms to follow and may make it harder to attract new users.
The online gaming industry representatives expressed their disappointment with this ruling. They said the government’s move is an overreach of its power and will negatively affect lawful business operations.
Case Title:
Play Games 24×7 Private Limited and ors v. State of Tamil Nadu and ors.
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