Representatives of the All India Gaming Federation are pushing for the State of Kerala to accept that games like poker, bridge, and fantasy sports are games of skill in a bid to boost tourism.

When Portugal beat France to win the UEFA European Championships, it was a reminder that luck and not only skill plays a major factor in sports dripping in the silky stuff.

It baffles me that there are still so many countries in the world who are loathed to believe that poker is a game of skill, and one of these countries is India. With a population of 1.129 billion people, you don’t have to be the grey haired geezer from Back to the Future to understand gambling could be a money spinner, and everyone would benefit.

India is governed by a central law that prohibits gambling on games of chance called The Public Gaming Act 1867. If ever a law needed the touch of a feather duster, one born in 1867 passes the bar. Despite the central law, some states do allow gambling after The Supreme Court acknowledged that activities such as rummy and horse racing are skill based pastimes.