The Supreme Court of India on October 15 rejected 10 petitions for review of its May 27, 2026 ruling. Junglee Games India led the group of plaintiffs. The decision stands: the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka may ban online real-money games.
The petitions were considered by Justices J. B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan without an open hearing. The court reviewed the materials and found no grounds for reconsideration.
The May ruling overturned high court orders that had earlier declared Tamil Nadu's and Karnataka's restrictions invalid. The court rejected the industry's argument that skill-based games should be regulated differently from gambling when money is at stake. Classifying a game as skill-based does not by itself take it outside a state ban.
The high courts had sided with Junglee Games, Play Games24x7 and Head Digital Works, as well as industry associations. After the review was denied, operators have no regular avenues left to challenge the decision.
A curative petition remains, but it is admitted only in exceptional cases, such as a grave miscarriage of justice or abuse of process. It is not known whether the plaintiffs plan to file one.
The ban also has a federal dimension: online real-money games are already restricted nationwide by the central Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming law. For affiliates and buyers, this means working with traffic for such products in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka remains risky under both regional and national law.
