Chhattisgarh High Court gives relief to skill gaming platform SportsBaazi

Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 17 : The High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur has granted interim relief to SBN Gaming Network Pvt. Ltd., the operator of SportsBaazi, in response to its legal challenge.

The Court issued an interim directive restraining the petitioner from operating its website within Chhattisgarh. The court ordered the platform to be blocked in the state through "Gio block."

However, SportsBaazi remains permitted to function in other parts of India until the next hearing, said the court.

Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad, presiding over the case, observed that the petitioner's app, which offers "Rummy," qualifies as a skill-based gaming platform and is not prohibited under the IT Act or IT Rules. The Court also noted that the app was blocked nationwide without prior notice or an opportunity for the petitioner to be heard, raising concerns over procedural fairness.

Additionally, the ruling highlighted that while betting and gambling fall under List-2 (State List), skill-based gaming is governed by the IT Act, which falls under List-1 (Union List). This distinction suggests that state authorities may not have jurisdiction to impose restrictions on such platforms.

The Court acknowledged that the app's gameplay involves elements of strategy, mutation, and combination, reinforcing its classification as a "Game of Skill" rather than a "Game of Chance."

The company's petition contests a directive dated May 5, 2025, issued by the Inspector General of Police (Technical Service), Chhattisgarh. This directive had instructed telecom and internet providers to restrict access to specific platforms, including SportsBaazi, citing provisions under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act and regional gambling laws.

Represented by Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, the petitioner argued that SportsBaazi operates a legally compliant, skill-based fantasy gaming platform, and that the action taken "was arbitrary, lacked due process", and extended beyond the territorial jurisdiction of the state.

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