"The organisers of online games like rummy and poker will be punished with one year imprisonment if caught for the first time,” said AP Information Minister Perni Venkataramaiah.

A second offence will incur two years’ imprisonment plus fines, and people who partake in online gambling will be punished with six months’ imprisonment.

Venkataramaiah added in a media briefing that online gambling has become a vice that afflicts the country’s youth, and necessary amendments will be carried out in the State Gaming Act of 1974.

The decision to ban online gambling comes after reports showing a 21% growth in the Indian online gaming industry during the COVID-19 lockdown.