Applicants lining up
The state government of Nagaland in Northeast India has issued its first online gaming licenses. The first license went to M/s K365 Web Assets Pvt. Ltd., which operates online poker and rummy portal Khelo365.com. In short order, three more licenses were issued to Kolkata-based Club Empire Tech Pvt. Ltd.; Quantumskill Gaming, operator of Pokerhigh.com; and WYZ Games Pvt. Ltd., which operates pokabunga.com.
All four companies are licensed only for online poker. Club Empire now only offers online rummy, according to local media. But the company plans to get into eSports, virtual sports, binary options, virtual sports league fantasy games and poker, reports CalvinAyre.com. Co-founder Swapnil Chaturvedi told GLaws.in that the license has “opened new opportunities in marketing, strategic tie-ups and building players’ trust.
“Club Empire under the licensing regime will soon launch its revolutionary poker product that will enhance player experience,” Chaturvedi said. “This is a huge boost to the skill gaming industry and has tremendous future in India.”
A statement on the Pokerhigh Facebook page said Quantumskill Gaming “is proud to announce that we have been issued a license for online poker (No limit Texas Hold ’em & Pot Limit Omaha) under the ‘Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling & Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act 2016.’ Join us in celebrating this new act that is a groundbreaking moment in poker history.”
The statement continued, “We at Poker High are dedicated to bringing this challenging mind sport out of the shadows, giving poker and its growing community of accomplished players the recognition and respect they deserve. The license is a huge boost to our efforts and creates a more accessible gateway to your gaming horizons.”
According to the Asia Gaming Brief, 10 more letters of intent to grant licensure have been issued by the government to different companies. Granted by the Nagaland State Lotteries, they give licensees the right to offer games to all states or union territories where games of skill are permitted, and also to advertise in those markets.
Vinod Manoharan, managing director of K365 Web Assets said, “We are happy that the Nagaland government has finally issued the license to regulate online skill games. The license issued by the Nagaland government will end the debate on the legality of online poker once and for all, and will enable this industry to boom.”
License holders must pay annual fees of Rs.1 million ($15,000) per game or Rs2.5 million for a “bouquet” of games for the initial three-year period; Rs2 million per game per year thereafter; or Rs5 million for an additional two-year bouquet. They must also pay 0.5 percent of gross revenue taxes to the Nagaland government.
