The answer is YES, playing online Rummy in India is legal.
Explanation from Court
The Supreme Court of India in 1967 declared that rummy is a game of skill and that playing online rummy does not fall under gambling. In 1996, the Supreme Court reiterated its verdict from 1967 and stated that the games like online rummy involve skills and hence do not fall under the bracket of gambling.
The Supreme Court has also overruled the orders of some high courts, where rummy was deemed to be illegal. Various legal experts across the country have given a green signal to online rummy and said that online rummy is completely legal in India.
How safe is online rummy
The new technology has enabled the game of rummy to be enjoyed by everyone in India. Online Rummy operators provide fascinating opportunities to the players. These players get a chance to win real cash, sharpen their rummy-playing skills through several online practice modes.
Since online rummy can be played by anyone sitting in any corner of the world, players get to test and enhance their skills when they compete with other worthy opponents. Thereby on winning, the players get to win real money.
However, many people are concerned over how safe and legal it is to play online rummy. Then another cause of concern that arises is the question of the fairness of the gameplay.
It is to be noted that certified online rummy apps and portals have integrated advanced and highly secured features of online payments and debit/credit cards, enabling players to use real money to play rummy and win the prize amount in a secure environment.
Check the payment methods
Due to the availability of online payment methods, the transactions between the rummy players and rummy operators are safe, and the winning amount is automatically credited to the player’s account. Further, online rummy ensures that the likelihood of conflict due to human error in dealing with won or lost money is removed, which arises when rummy is played face to face.
In order to make sure that every player’s money lands in a safe place, operators who are certified to organize rummy have a standard payment gateway that is totally safe and secure. The most regular payment options are Paytm, PayU, NetBanking, UPI, etc. Rummy apps/portals are safeguarded with an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate, which makes the payments secure.
An SSL Certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection.