The Esports Players Welfare Association (EPWA), along with a group of professional gamers from Tamil Nadu, has challenged the recently introduced Tamil Nadu Regulations on Real Money Gaming, 2025 in the Tamil Nadu High Court. The petition argues that (i) the regulations infringe upon the fundamental rights of online gamers under the Indian Constitution under articles 14, 19 and 21, severely impacting the professional gaming community; (ii) states do not have the competence to pass such a regulation under the constitutional scheme and skill games can only be regulated by the central government, under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021; and (iii) the regulation proceeds based on erroneous and non-existent data and is ex-facie arbitrary
"State of India Gaming Report 2022," a collaborative study by Lumikai and Amazon Web Services (AWS) highlights that the number of esports players in India grew fourfold from 150,000 in 2021 to 600,000 in 2022. It also projects This number will reach 1.5 million by 2027, reflecting the rapid growth of the Indian gaming industry.
EPWA represents a wide community of players in Tamil Nadu, including some of India’s most accomplished professional poker players and esports competitors. Among them are Vikram Kumar Lungi, winner of the 2017 Asian Poker Tour (APT) Hyperturbo Championship and 3rd place finisher in the 2017 APT Main Event, as well as PS Rathanvel, a chess prodigy who was on track to become India’s youngest Chess Grandmaster active global ranking of 737. The list of petitioners also includes Aditya Sushanth Donka—widely known as ‘Bomber’—a World Series of Poker (WSOP) Bracelet winner, and one of India’s most successful poker professionals.
The regulations impose severe restrictions, including a ban on online gaming between 12:00 AM and 5:00 AM, which players argue is entirely disconnected from the realities of professional gaming. For many players, these are prime hours when they compete with the world’s best, including international players and office-goers who engage in competitive games after work hours.
EPWA and players have challenged these restrictions on three key grounds:
* Violation of the Right to Livelihood: Professional gaming is a legitimate career for thousands, and restrictive hours severely curtail their ability to earn a living.
* Competitive Integrity and Global Participation: Many competitive and international games occur during late-night hours, and restricting gameplay reduces Indian players’ access to competitive play.
* Arbitrary Restrictions: The government’s assumptions about sleeping hours (12 AM - 5 AM) fail to consider the reality of professional gaming and the working patterns of many players.
Player Reactions:
Vikram Kumar Lungi, APT Champion, "Just because we are in Tamil Nadu, we are being given step-motherly treatment. The entire country plays freely, and international events happen at night. Why Should we be restricted when everyone else can compete without limitations? Gaming is my profession, and I cannot afford to have my work dictated by outdated policies."
VS Rathanvel, "I and I know what it means to compete globally. Chess requires strategy, patience, and facing the best minds in the world. Restricting us from playing at night is like telling an athlete they can’t train during peak competition hours—it makes no sense."
Aditya Sushanth Donka, WSOP Bracelet Winner, "Many players in competitive games are office-goers who return home late at night and play serious poker after work. If these laws stay, India will be the only place where Playing at night is illegal—not because of any harm but because someone decided that 12-5 AM should be sleeping hours. That is not how professional gaming works."
EPWA and the professional gaming community are committed to ensuring these restrictive regulations do not destroy India’s growing presence in the global real money gaming industry. The legal challenge seeks to protect professional players and the thousands who rely on online gaming as a source of livelihood.
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