The saying ‘lucky in cards, unlucky in love’ has always been a bit irksome, because what if you’re in love with playing cards? Are you going to win or go broke? These Schrodinger-esque musings aside, there’s no denying that Indians love their card games, during Diwali as well as any other time of the year.And another thing that people love? Money.
Combine the two and you’ve got one of the most popular games in the world: poker. Previously more a plot point of films, books, and films based on books, large scale poker stakes have gone real-time as well as online, with worldwide poker tournaments boasting prizes that make and break lives becoming news fodder.So we dipped into the pot and spoke to Archit Narayan, CEO and founding director of Pacific Gaming Pvt Ltd about what it takes to make an online poker platform tick:
Could you tell us a little about the inception of PokerSaint, how it started? Was there a gap in the market?
Pacific Gaming (the parent company of PokerSaint) is India’s fastest growing online gaming company. Started in 2017, this digital gaming platform attracts players with its innovative ideas, features and user-friendly interface. The company offers different games, each with a different strategy like PokerSaint (P2P Poker platform), Gully Rummy (P2P Rummy platform), and more. Pokersaint is all about fair play and the best poker online user experience. What sets apart Pokersaint is their team’s constant strive towards giving players the ultimate online poker gaming experience and with assured real money rewards and more
Among the several poker websites in India, PokerSaint provides safety at various levels including, but not limited to, Random Number Generator, Data Security, and Gameplay Security. PokerSaint has entered the booming Poker industry as the sole organization that adheres to strict national and international guidelines and also to its ‘Fair Play’ policy. The company has a plan to introduce several games that will engage a range of audiences across the globe. Real-cash gaming platforms in the market did not provide instant cash-outs. PokerSaint disrupted the gaming industry with its 60-second cash-out feature.
How large is the online poker market in India?
Today, we are witnessing a growing interest among millennials for online poker platforms. Over the last few months, almost 5 million online gaming players have signed up for ‘paid’ poker games and tournaments. This emerging trend can also be noticed with the rise of more than a dozen online poker platforms in India. High-stake tournaments and attractive offers are the major crowd pullers for platforms such as these.
Are there any legal restraints for online poker platforms in India?
According to the Constitution of India, gambling comes within state subject, making the central act applicable in all the states which do not have any particular gambling laws. There is also availability of official licensing for online poker rooms, which makes online poker legal and statutory in India. The Supreme Court of India clarified the definition in 1996 as “Such competitions, where Success depends on quite a substantial degree of Skill, are not necessarily “gambling”. Though there is an element of pure chance, if a particular game is predominantly a game of skill, it would still be a game of “mere skill”. That being said, Pacific Gaming is registered in India under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and aims to become a leading player in the entertainment and online gaming sectors. The purpose of the company is to enable an online poker experience on multiple platforms, while ensuring seamless game-play along with formidable data security and the fastest cash-outs.