Should the govt scrap the 1867 Public Gambling Act right now?

Should the government amend the Public Gambling Act or should it be scrapped right now? The Public Gambling Act, 1867 is a 150-year old law meant to punish those who are involved in public gambling and maintaining gaming houses. This Act was meant to stop card games, dice and cock fighting. But the kind of betting that goes on now was probably not forseen by the makers of this law over a century ago.  The involvement of hundreds of bookies in the betting racket  indicates the extent to which it has spread in the country. [caption id=“attachment_851835” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Will the protests also result in the scrapping of the 1867 Public Gambling Act? Firstpost.[/caption] “You know, there are very stringent provisions for other offences, when those things happen. My personal view is that the punishment should be harsher,” S N Srivatsav, Special Commissioner of Police (Delhi), told CNN-IBN. The punishments under the Gambling Act are as follows: Owning a gaming house attracts a fine upto Rs 200 or three months in jail. Being found in a gaming house can attract fines upto Rs 100 or a month in jail. For giving false names and addresses, the Act prescribes a fine of Rs 500. The Act is not applicable in all states either. Section 12 of the Act will not apply to a game of skill and has been interpreted by differently by courts across the country. In 1996, The Supreme Court judgement said Horse Racing is a game of skill and cannot be covered under Gambling Act. Not just that, in 1968 the Supreme Court ruled that Rummy is also a game of skill. Goa and Sikkim allow gaming houses to operate which means that there is no consensus among the states as well.