There is no doubt that Teen Patti is one of the most popular games in Asia, especially in India. Many people play Teen Patti and you can get involved in it in many ways.
Some people choose to play with friends, others play locally with others, and the fastest growing way to play is to play Teen Patti online with others. This provides a convenient way for many people to play and have the chance to get lucky and win money. However, there are many people who question the legality of Teen Patti.
Legality of Teen Patti
One of the main reasons people question the legality of Teen Patti is because there are a lot of grey areas in India’s gambling laws, and Teen Patti falls right in the middle of them.
On the one hand, there are gambling companies that are actively targeting the Indian market. They make sure that their gaming options meet the needs of their players. This means that the vast majority of them will offer Teen Patti games to people who register and hold an account.
But if you look at the rules in India, there is nothing in writing that says gambling is allowed in that country. And many things are broken down, depending on whether they are games of skill or games of chance. This is often confusing for players, especially those who really want to play Teen Patti online and want to do so legally.
When it comes to the law, it is illegal to set up a gambling establishment in India. It is illegal to visit gambling establishments in India. There is also a disagreement between games of skill and games of chance. The exact wording is as follows.
“Gambling includes any activity or undertaking whose decision is controlled or influenced by chance or accident, or any activity or undertaking engaged in or conducted with the knowledge or risk of losing or winning.”
While people may use tricks to know when to bet and when to fold, what type of action to take in certain Teen Patti variants, etc., others would say the game is based purely on chance and the cards you receive. There is no legal definition of Teen Patti, and it falls very much in the gray area between games of skill and games of chance, as it can be both.
Back in 1968, the state declared that rummy was a game of skill and that those who played it could not be punished. Rummy and Teen Patti are different games, so this does not definitively solve the problem, but it does give hope to those who enjoy playing Teen Patti.
Another confusing factor is the visit to the gambling venue and the setup. There is no mention of online gaming here, so those who want to play online against others need to consider this as well, which gives them too many confusing grey areas to think about.
The Information Technology Act
In an attempt to help solve online problems, the Information Technology Act was created in 2000 and then updated in 2011. It contains a small element of gambling, but either way it does not fully address the legality of Teen Patti.
In 2011, regulations on internet gambling were introduced and online payment methods, hosting providers, search engines and cell phone networks all had to comply with the new rules. Online casinos can offer gambling services to India as long as they are located outside of India. Even at this stage, it is difficult to determine whether Teen Patti is legal.
The conventional gambling laws were in place before the advent of online gaming, so of course they are not mentioned. The lack of mention does not necessarily mean that something is legal or illegal, it means that we simply do not know.
Conclusion
If you look at the game of Teen Patti, it is a game that involves playing random cards. Once you know how to play Teen Patti, there may be some tricks involved. But it is fair to say that luck is much more than skill.
Despite the fact that there is nothing in the gambling or internet laws. Teen Patti may well be considered gambling, and gambling to win real money is not allowed. But there is nothing written to prove this, nor is there anything to guide people. This is the biggest frustration with the way gambling is handled in India.
Some states in India do allow Teen Patti to be played, and people from these areas can participate and play the games they like. If you are from somewhere else, then you will have to find an alternative. That alternative is currently online. This is a very gray area, but it is also where Teen Patti is really booming right now.
There are many gaming companies and casinos targeting the Indian market, offering games including Teen Patti to players in India and other parts of the world. Many Indians have been using these sites for years without a problem, and providers continue to work hard to target the country.