Poker is a game of skill, and it is 100% legal to play poker games online for real money as well as for free in India. Playing a game of skill like poker for money is legally considered a business activity and it is protected by Article 19[1](g) of the Constitution of India.
The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in K.R. Lakshmanan v. State of Tamil Nadu, AIR 1996 SC 1153 laid down a basic principle for classification of games; a game of chance is one in which the element of chance predominates over the element of skill and a game of skill is one in which the element of skill predominates over the element of chance. It is therefore the dominant element out of ‘skill’ or ‘chance’ which determines the character of the game.
The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in State of Andhra Pradesh v. K. Satyanarayana, AIR 1968 SC 825 accepts that there is a 'chance' element in all card games yet that alone cannot be indicative of the fact that ‘skill’ is not involved.
Further, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in R.M.D Chamarbaugwala v. Union of India, (1957) 1 SCR 930 has held that competitions where the success depends upon a substantial degree of skill are not ‘gambling’. The question as to whether ‘games of skill’ can be offered as legitimate business activities was dealt with by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in R.M.D Chamarbaugwala judgment where it has observed that ‘games of skill’ are business activities and shall be afforded the protection under Article 19(1)(g).
Therefore, based on various principles laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, poker games offered on Junglee Poker can be classified as ‘games of skill’ and hence completely safe and legal to play.
People who reside in or log in from the states of Telangana, Assam, Odisha, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, are strictly prohibited from playing real money games or tournaments on Junglee Poker as these states prohibit playing online poker for real money. People living in or logging from the aforementioned states are also prohibited from depositing money into or withdrawing money from their Poker India accounts. However, people living in or logging in from these states can play free games on Junglee Poker.