Online rummy operators join hands self- regulate

Aims to promote it as game of skill instead of chance, prevent players from cheating

December 09, 2017 01:13 am | Updated 02:31 pm IST - Mumbai

Major online rummy operators from the country have come together to form The Rummy Federation (TRF), a body that will self-regulate the online rummy industry and encourage a sustainable and responsible gaming environment.

The Mumbai-based body aims at putting in place checks and balances to promote rummy as a game of skill rather than gambling, and to make it more trustworthy for its millions of players.

Rummy went online a decade ago with the advent of gaming portals. As gaming apps developed, several operators launched mobile apps for players to connect across the country to play their favourite card game.

“Rummy has always been a game of skill and not chance, and this is not just our claim. In 2016, we commissioned a study by Deloite, in which gaming patterns of users were observed for six-month periods. Players who performed well in the first six months performed equally well in the next six months, which would not have been possible had rummy been a game of chance,” said Mr. Trivikraman Thampy, co-founder and CEO of RummyCircle and member of the advisory panel of the TRF.

The federation will be e launched on December 15 in collaboration with Ace2Three, the other major player in the field of online rummy.

Framework for govt.

Mr. Thampy said the TRF is trying to create a basic framework for the government to adopt if and when it feels the need to regulate online rummy. For instance, in 2016, the Nagaland government introduced the Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, which sought to regulate online card games including poker and rummy.

“Talks to establish such a federation were on for several years, but the Nagaland government’s action indicates that governments are now looking to regulate online rummy, which expedited our actions. It might take several years for a nation-wide regulation initiative, but when it does happen, we want to be prepared to assist the government, while self-regulating in the meantime,” he said.

Fair play

To make sure that the game is trustworthy enough for players, TRF aims to introduce certain measures to make the game fair to all.

For example, Mr. Thampy said, cards are assigned to each player using software tools called random number generators (RNGs), which are tested by reputed testing companies. TRF will ensure audits of rummy portals run by its member operators to check if RNGs are being used and are certified by these testing companies.

TRF will also make sure that its rules are conducive for the players. One way of doing this would be to prevent players from cheating.

“Let us say two players sitting together in person are assigned the same table on the portal, which would be highly unlikely. We have systems in place to check whether cards discarded by one player are consistently picked up by the other, and if this is found to be the case, necessary action is taken. Member portals will be required to adopt these same systems,” Mr. Thampy said.

TRF will also help operators adopt practices that prevent players from availing of credit while playing for stakes, by analysing the players’ spending patterns and assigning credit accordingly.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.