E Palaniswami, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, has said that the government will impose a ban on online rummy, the popular betting platform. Speaking at an inaugural function on Thursday, EPS said that rummy has caused the suicide of a number of youngsters in Tamil Nadu. About 12 youths are reported to have died due to the burden of debt caused by the betting game. The government is also going to ban gambling.

The CM's statement comes days after a petition was filed with the Madras High Court seeking a ban on rummy. The petition said that the Telugu States, Odisha, among others, have either banned or regulated games involving gambling.

As many as 2 lakh people play rummy in Tamil Nadu. A player bets as much as Rs 100 to Rs 500 on each game. Some overenthusiastic ones put thousands of rupees on the line.

Meanwhile, the Online Rummy Federation has said that it will work with authorities to create a safe gaming industry so that there is no abuse of the online platforms. The Federation squarely put the blame on illegal sites for suicides.

A post on the rummy site says that there as many as 30 million players registered.