Head Digital Works, parent company of online gaming platform A23, has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court challenging the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, becoming the first real-money gaming (RMG) operator to move the courts against the law that was enacted by Parliament last week.
The matter is listed for hearing later this week, gaming news platform G2G reports.
The move by A23, which acquired real-money poker platform Adda52 from casino operator Delta earlier this year, is contrary to the position adopted by other major operators.
Earlier this week, the likes of Dream11, Gameskraft, PokerBaazi and Zupee publicly stated they would abide by the sweeping legislation, which bans all money games whether of skill or chance.
It is worth noting that n February 2022, the Karnataka High Court, in the All India Gaming Federation v. State of Karnataka matter, had struck down provisions of the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021, which had prohibited online skill-based games such as rummy and poker. The Bench then held that such a blanket ban was unconstitutional and that the state legislature lacked competence to regulate online skill gaming.
Per G2G, the petition by Head Digital Works will tentatively be heard by the High Court on Saturday, August 30.
