This is a guest contribution by Mukesh Choudhary, is the Editor in Chief of http://OnlinePokerNews.in. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

This month, Nagaland became the first Indian state to regularize the online games of skill such as poker, rummy and fantasy sports after its legislative assembly passed The Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion of Online Games of Skill Bill, 2015. Once signed and approved by the Governor of the state, this will become the first law in the country addressing the booming industry of skill games for stakes. Nagaland will establish a licensing regime for the existing companies and operators of such games in the country as well as will open doors for the new establishments in the same domain of business. On one hand, this law will permit games of skill with real money and will prohibit any games of chance like Teen-Patti, online casino etc. on the other hand.

For better understanding of the legal and tax aspects of the bill, we consulted two law firms which have expertise in gaming and gambling laws in India. We took inputs from Mr. Vaibhav Gaggar, Managing Partner of law firm, viz; M/s. Gaggar& Associates, Solicitors & Attorneys, who are the leading legal experts/ law firm dealing with Gaming/ Gambling laws in India. Another key contributor in decoding this law is Mr. Nishith Desai from Nishith Desai Associates.

A Big Boost to the Thriving Poker Industry of India