28-06-2025
Chepauk Super Gillies' owner moves Madras High Court against TNOGA notice on online gaming ‘endorsement'
A media company that owns Chepauk Super Gillies, a leading participant in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) organised by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), has approached the Madras High Court against a notice issued by the Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (TNOGA), warning it of penal action over an alleged indirect endorsement of an online gambling website.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh on Friday (June 28, 2025) took note of the submission of senior counsel P.R. Raman, representing Metronation Chennai Television Private Limited, that the TNOGA's notice insisting that Chepauk Super Gillies remove the endorsement had been issued on June 26, 2025, when the TNPL 2025, which began on June 5 and is expected to end on July 6, was at an advanced stage.
The judge directed TNOGA counsel B. Arvind Srevatsa to take notice on behalf of the authority and instruct it to keep all further action in abeyance till July 16. In an affidavit filed in support of its writ petition, Metronation, which also owns Thanthi TV, said the TNOGA had issued issued a show-cause notice on May 16, taking exception to an endorsement on the Chepauk Super Gillies' jersey.
In the notice, the TNOGA stated that the signage MELBAT found on the jersey amounts to indirectly promoting the betting/gambling website MELBET, and that this was in violation of Section 8 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022. The authority had asked Metronation to respond as to why it should not be proceeded against for such a violation.
Metronation denies charge
Metronation responded to the notice on June 21, stoutly denying the charge of having promoted online gambling through its jersey branding. It told the authority that the logo displayed on the jersey was that of 'MELBAT LIVE,' a website engaged in sports news. The company asserted that the logo did not contain any language, imagery, or context that could be construed as promoting betting or gambling.
After considering the reply, the TNOGA sent a second notice to the company on June 26, observing that the explanation was unsustainable since Section 8 of the Act prohibits not only direct but also indirect advertisement of online gambling. Therefore, the authority gave a final opportunity to Metronation to remove the endorsement within 48 hours or face action under Section 16 of the Act.
Since Section 16 provides for the imposition of imprisonment for a term extending up to one year or fine, which could extend up to ₹5 lakh or both, for contravention of Section 8 of the Act, the media company had rushed to the court with a plea to quash the June 26 notice. It contended that the TNOGA had issued the notice without considering the Advertising Standards Council of India guidelines.
