Questioning the implications and conflicts of interest, Assembly Member Abhishek Manu Singhvi asked Rajya Sabha about the government policy on wagering and online gaming, which he has been involved in as a lawyer.

He denied the allegations, but documents show that on November 11, senior lawyer Singhvi appeared before the Karnataka High Court for a petitioner company that has challenged the Constitutional validity of the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act 2021 that bans all online wagering.

Singhvi argued that there is a difference between the game of chance and the game of skill, the past will be controlled by the police, but the government does not have the right to ban the game of skill.

Singhvi appeared for Gameskraft Technologies Pvt Ltd in the All India Gaming Federation v Karnataka State case held at the Karnataka High Court. Gameskraft Technologies Pvt Ltd is a parent company of RummyCulture, an online gaming application.

A month later, Singhvi asks a question about who is a member of the Rajya Sabha. A starred question that must be answered orally was appointed for him on December 16 in the Upper House — in which he wants the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to state:

• Summary of recommendations from the Ministry on advertisements on fantasy sports;
• The reason why you can’t tell the difference between the game of skills and the game of chance;
• The policy position of the Ministry on these categories.

Experts say this raises questions about the implications.

“What Singhvi is doing will not fall under the category of ‘conflict of interest’, but it is inappropriate,” said PDT Achary, former secretary-general of Lok Sabha.

“There is no law in the House regarding the authorization of questions or to ask supplementary questions due to conflict of interest. Of course, it is not appropriate for a member to have a direct and financial interest in matters relating to the National Assembly,” he said.

Rajya Sabha’s principles of conduct and etiquette are as follows: “Members should always ensure that their financial interests and their family members do not come in conflict with the public interest and if there is a conflict, resolve the dispute in a manner that the public interest is not jeopardized.”

Singhvi denies the conflict of interest and said in an interview with Indian Express: I have never appeared for any company dealing with fantasy sports generally except for online rummy operators.  I have appeared for online rummy traders from the point of view of the game of skill versus the game of the season.”

“Second, it has been 8 years since I first appeared in the Supreme Court, and since then I have appeared several times in other high Courts such as Andhra, Telangana, Madras, and Karnataka. Third, all of these events are for one or two companies on the issue of online rummy-only. Four, as a senior lawyer, I contract with another lawyer and do not deal with or know clients at all times. Fifth, question (A) relates to advertising, (B) is a question that has been in use for over 70 years. The law was first drafted in 1950 by the Supreme Court of India in Chamarbaugwala to distinguish between games of skill and games of chance and question, (C) is just the result. So, it’s all right,” he said.

He says his question is to clarify the concept. “The questions are only questions about the concept of games of skills and I do not have the remotest interest in any operator.” Even the slightest idea of conflict of interest never entered my heart,” he said.

Karnataka High Court’s appeal on challenging the laws affecting restrictions due to the spread, the online wagering industry is having a major impact. According to the KPMG report released in June this year, India’s online gaming figure reached Rs 600 billion in the fiscal year 2021.

Last August, the Madras High Court overturned similar laws restricting online wagering, including games of skill. The state could not establish a law on the ” game of skill”, unlike the “game of chance” in the Supreme Court decision of 1957. Games that are based on inconsistencies are considered games of chance and are prohibited by law.

Credits: The Indian Express