Rummy, of course, is mostly known as a family game that can be enjoyed by the young and old alike, but it can also be played competitively for cash. Playing Rummy for money is particularly big in India, where unlike most casino games, it is entirely legal. It has especially seen a huge spike in interest online, where more and more Indian online Rummy sites have led the way internationally.
What Is the EGF
The popularity of online Rummy in India is so massive, in fact, that a self-regulatory body was set up, first for rummy then for all online gaming in India. Originally known as The Rummy Federation (TGF) and recently rechristened the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), the organization has dedicated itself to ensure that all e-gaming sites under its purview in India.
What Does the EGF Do?
It helps create safe, responsible e-gaming (again, not so much games like poker as e-sports and card games like Rummy) through the following measures:
- Preventing underage players from playing cash games
- Protecting user data on e-gaming sites
- Promoting ethical and responsible marketing
Along with ensuring that all websites bearing the EGF stamp of approval are safe and secure online environments that don’t circumvent Indian law, the organization also emphasizes responsible gaming.
How it Promotes Responsible Gaming
The EGF offers self-assessment tests for players to decide if they’re being responsible, and offers five principles for responsible play:
- Set a monthly, weekly or daily deposit limit and stick to it.
- Play for entertainment with the understanding that you may make some money, but that’s not your main goal.
- Avoid playing Rummy and the like if it makes you feel unduly stressed and leave games in progress that do the same.
- If you’re losing, do not keep chasing losses for the win. Rather switch to different games or different strategies. Do not add more money than your set limit.
- Balance your time so you don’t spend more time than is healthy playing online games
These five principles are a good way to keep you a responsible player, whether playing Rummy or any other online game, but can especially be applied to gambling games like online slots where irresponsible play is both most frequent and most damaging
