If online rummy is banned, why do cricket betting games get a pass?

The recent ban on online rummy by the Tamil Nadu government brings up the question: What about cricket betting game apps?

[{"selector":"#anim-2cecf03a-2740-44ed-901b-f5d5cd1b86fe","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4747ea58-7cdc-4429-b9ea-bee1e9a63430","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9888c9c6-19c3-4406-92a2-5aa8e69e6f2c","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-19bb5d7a-f195-45d6-87f7-c7a48fad642d","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

In the UK, gambling on cricket is legal. The game is so uncertain that outcomes, big and small, are opportunities for punters. In India, however, it is illegal

[{"selector":"#anim-e4aa6e5f-4484-4819-95a9-7b2aa2d8fd0b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0634f275-b63a-43f2-8225-ae756b3c4b9d","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cf90c4ff-942a-4a24-b9c7-cac54ee14137 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Yet, apps like Fantasy League and Dream 11, which call themselves cricket apps, are involved in gambling under the guise of offering cricket-based games

[{"selector":"#anim-a67f3451-60c5-4c5b-8146-989c6a894d8f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-13661f34-ca4e-465d-a170-5f43e46dd060","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0766e463-3d2b-4ef2-8484-b28e31bbedc3","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e7509b9d-efe7-4a48-a6ae-9a250d5567f8","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Users pick players for a cricket team, and based on their real-life performance, points accrue to the team. Dream 11 uses this format for all sports, not just cricket

[{"selector":"#anim-3b1d9550-7036-492d-a6e1-bacd63862da6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b7ada3ce-f106-4f78-a0bc-8bfb01922891","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f0cf0784-917a-41de-8467-a41c89bc7444","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-13e87a3f-33ad-4286-8333-befba8a8bc24","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Online games based on sports have been cleared by the Supreme Court, as it endorsed a lower court observation that the game involves skill more than chance

[{"selector":"#anim-ad965f62-7c1c-4b13-b09c-223dd9f4bf48","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-400a0666-ae62-4df9-8eca-7fa0aa6b1ec7","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d21aa0a7-7291-41d1-a638-b604d4522fee [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-3.2501487588767155%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Courts have viewed online rummy also similarly but individual states like Tamil Nadu are banning online card games that are traditionally associated with gambling

[{"selector":"#anim-cfeb443b-9e6c-4f69-9fd0-2cc19fbeeebd","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cc1c7c66-d6e8-46f0-8aca-c10b6f130e22","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c8d64b10-a83f-4bad-b512-266035b901a8 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Online fantasy cricket is addictive too. Users talk about being drawn in and getting hooked. But rarely do critics of online rummy apply similar logic to the cricket apps

[{"selector":"#anim-f71be957-cf25-4426-b29a-8f44d38d03fc","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c681d378-c7f1-4b76-8f6c-671486b08f24","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-33f6d753-ea33-4a28-80b4-210dfef8c928 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(16.21621628802116%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Perhaps because fantasy cricket is an industry of billions of dollars. Dream 11 is the first Indian gaming company that is a unicorn; it has investments of over $1 billion

[{"selector":"#anim-ab1595de-10c1-4be4-b42c-b0b3f4646031","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b8f4c131-d24c-4d78-8cd2-7178b2ac287f","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c8fc788e-5728-4883-89af-27e208c91596 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Moreover, Dream 11 sponsors real cricket matches too; the Indian gaming app was the main sponsor of IPL in Dubai. The BCCI has approved of this lucrative deal

[{"selector":"#anim-22285137-acc6-4183-b449-0ae8449f2085","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-efe3fbbc-3de1-4f00-b7aa-4eea6f00a61e","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3599b9e6-b062-4ddb-a9e1-86457833de8f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Cricket has often drawn dodgy sponsorships, like Wills. Cricketers wearing jerseys with Wills logos helped it circumvent rules that prevented advertising cigarettes

[{"selector":"#anim-03ef5a3b-427d-40f4-bbcb-cad0d16e7e36","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7f6e1f6c-14e4-4a44-bc24-518f0c1210dd","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d0d4ef5e-9eab-410a-9db9-c3640760737f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(2.496679404727786%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Cricket stars like Dhoni, Tendulkar and Ganguly advertise for the app, giving it legitimacy. Dravid is probably the only big player who has not endorsed the apps

[{"selector":"#anim-52273e8c-6267-4136-9d79-64e040036c26","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8018cc36-99bf-4c17-ad3d-b640d26463fc","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0113d792-7dd3-40bf-9c5e-6d6aa7ed45f1 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Betting for money is at the core of these apps. But they also deliver cricket news and views, which gives them a facade of being legal, unlike online rummy

[{"selector":"#anim-b82f9a6b-ccd6-4fb1-a154-1b486c4e136c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-95ea222d-24fb-41d3-8648-5af821cef1ad","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a41326b0-b3f6-4ec5-83ae-79ff8f2b659e [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

In fact, Fantasy League or Dream 11 did not carry any disclaimers initially. But as the apps became successful, reports of money lost by users also started coming out

[{"selector":"#anim-51ee1515-6413-47bb-b77d-3cdbd42954dc","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-efbc78fe-fe89-47cc-be48-fafc9d3212a4","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1425ab20-75f8-4958-9122-4314bc81af84","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-79cac229-5907-448f-ad51-ab1f91698204","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Disclaimers were then added by the apps, advising user discretion, in order to absolve the companies of any liability

[{"selector":"#anim-1ff213c9-ec73-47fc-8280-6e4913434a72","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9c2fbb97-0f0c-4558-885c-552b7bdac6ad","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e77e1732-489d-4efb-a953-e45171de5775","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0e63ace1-17dc-41e9-bf52-a9175a9d2ae4","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

If the TN government is taking a moral position against online rummy, then it should apply to fantasy cricket apps as well. Many states have acted against the apps

[{"selector":"#anim-0f125f16-328e-44e0-87f2-e7bed8b54d47","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4f1604f9-39bc-480d-a7af-4656c966a1c8","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a17b42fc-14ca-4c38-b945-92cb496f4d3a","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-504f39aa-a67d-4633-bfb9-c98fff98651b","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Read the full story

[{"selector":"#anim-821c037e-d683-42ac-89df-29d73289dd5d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ad8cbcb4-bc65-412d-b925-34c8f3c85127","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f0043efd-4742-4382-8030-d5f527906f4e [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-24.974011837467813%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]