The police in Bengaluru in the Indian province of Karnataka have reported the shutdown of 500 poker rooms since the beginning of October in a series of raids prompted by a necessity to clampdown on public disorder rather than moving against poker, which the state courts have ruled is a game of skill (see previous reports).
In a media interview this week Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar explained that smaller and less established poker rooms have become a source of unlawful behaviour such as brawling and other criminal activity, prompting the police crackdown.
Answering criticism that the police left the bigger and more established resorts and cardrooms alone in the crackdown, the Commissioner said that these large and well-resourced establishments were not the problem and do not generate the sort of complaints for which other poker rooms have become notorious.
“The big recreational clubs have all the sports and leisure facilities, including swimming pools and they are all following the rules and regulations… and that’s the reason we have not initiated action against them,” the police spokesman said.