Gaming Report: 2 New Fantasy Sports Websites My11Circle & KhelChamps Launch in India, No New Casinos in Goa Says State Tourism Minister

Last year the Indian gaming sector welcomed several new entrants and 2019 seems to be right on track in this context. Two new fantasy gaming websites were recently launched in the country. While Play Games 24×7 (parent company of Rummy Circle) launched ‘My11Circle’, the Sugal & Damani Group that has a massive presence in the country’s lottery segment has brought its rummy, gaming and other offerings under a common ‘Khel Group’ banner and launched its fantasy games website, ‘KhelChamps’.

In updates coming in from Goa, Tourism Minister Manohar ‘Babu’ Ajgaonkar is reported to have told the legislative assembly that its draft Tourism Master Plan does not include the establishment of new casinos in the state even though a relocation of the offshore casinos to a land location was very much on the cards.

In other news, Delhi police busted an illegal gambling den arresting 51 including five women and seized gambling chips worth ₹49 Lakhs and ₹5.4 Lakhs in cash.

Videogame publisher Electronic Arts (EA) seems to have finally buckled under the looming threat of prosecution by the Belgian Gambling Commission. EA has removed the loot boxes feature from its latest FIFA game offering – FIFA 19.

Back in Asia, two illegal gambling dens were busted in Cambodia recently.

2 New Fantasy Sports Websites Launched in India

The Indian fantasy sports industry has seen several entrants in recent months, most notably players like 11Wickets and MyTeam11. However, it is Dream11 that holds an overwhelming majority of the market share. All these market players have been aggressively promoting their portals across mainstream media channels.

The congested but largely dominated fantasy sports market now has two new entrants who commenced operations recently.

Play Games 24X7 which is the parent company of Rummy Circle has launched fantasy sports website ‘My11Circle’, while lottery conglomerate Sugal & Damani Group, which has interests in poker and is associated with Sachiko Gaming that runs PokerStars India, has announced its all-new fantasy gaming platform, ‘KhelChamps’.

My11Circle will be available for download on Google Play from February 1 onwards though PC and iOS users will have to wait longer to use the app on their devices. The site will initially offer fantasy sports contests on domestic and international cricket games, and subsequently add other sports contests.

Talking about the launch, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Play Games24x7 Bhavin Pandya said, “Today is a very important day for Play Games24x7 as we launch our first ever fantasy game. We, of course, start with cricket but the goal is to offer multiple games in this format. Our focus on understanding player behavior has enabled us to provide awesome game playing experiences and we shall continue that endeavor by providing awesome fantasy cricket experiences to our players.”

The Sugal & Damani Group that launched ‘KhelChamps’ has announced that it will now operate its rummy, fantasy sports and other gaming brands under the ‘Khel Group’ banner. The company currently runs a rummy brand, ‘Khelplayrummy’.

CEO of Khel Group Naveen Goyal said, “Since the launch, our company has been focused on providing the best customer experience by offering a seamless interface through innovative technologies. With Khel Group, we intend to augment the online gaming experience along with consolidating several gaming offerings. The purpose of Khel Group is to create a strong single platform and identity which is imperative for the brand to communicate effectively with our different stakeholders. I look forward to this new and exciting phase of our journey.”

With the IPL 2019 and World Cup 2019 just around the corner, the launch of My11Circle and KhelChamps seems to be a strategically timed move by their parent companies

Goa’s Tourism Master Plan Doesn’t Envisage New Casinos

The recently tabled Tourism Master Plan by the Goa government is a step in the right direction as far as relocation of casinos inland is concerned, but has left out provisions envisaging the establishment of new casinos.

State Tourism Minister Manohar ‘Babu’ Ajgaonkar told the state legislative assembly on Wednesday that the upcoming draft plan doesn’t envision new casinos in Goa.

In a written response to an unstarred question by Churchill Alemao, MLA from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Ajgaonkar said, “All stakeholders involved in the tourism industry would be consulted, before finalising the master plan.”

When asked whether the draft plan catered for allowing new casinos to set shop, Ajgaonkar replied, “No, Sir.”

Notably, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had in August 2018, divulged to the assembly that the government planned to unveil a casino policy very soon. Parrikar had outlined plans for shifting of the existing offshore casinos currently operational on River Mandovi to land as one of the top priorities for the government. This was in line with the mounting pressure on the government from the opposition parties and the public to take a clear stand on casino operations.

The government had in 2013 decided not to issue fresh licenses to businesses interested in opening new casino ventures. 2018 saw a massive hike in various casino license renewal fee, as a result of which, two casinos, namely, Crown and Carnival were forced to shut down in May, 2018.

Parrikar’s vision involved development of an integrated gaming zone on land and the appointment of a gaming commissioner to oversee and regulate Goa’s casino industry. Locals would be banned from entering this zone, Parrikar had emphasized.

While Parrikar has been silent on the issue since then, reports of the draft Tourism policy surfaced earlier this month and Ajgaonkar was to hold a meeting with the state MLA’s to discuss the policy. It seems that though the offshore casinos may yet be relocated to land in the near future, the prospect of new casinos setting up shop in the state remains bleak.

51 Arrested in Illegal Casino Bust in Delhi

India has a fast growing poker-playing population and the popularity of the skill game is evident by the growing foothold that poker as a mind sport is gaining. But while playing live poker is legally permitted in Goa, Sikkim and Kolkata, it is still considered illegal in the National Capital.

Delhi police raided and busted a casino that was allegedly functioning from Le Castle Micasa Resort located on the GT Karnal Road, Alipur last Thursday. In addition to arresting 51 people that include five women, police seized gambling chips valued at ₹49 Lakhs and stake money totaling ₹5.4 Lakhs.

The Crime Branch of Delhi police conducted the raid. ACP (Crime) Rajiv Ranjan said, “The main organisers of the illegal casino racket have been identified as Mukesh Kumar, Sanjay Aggarwal, Devraj Dabas, Ajay Chauhan and Love Vasisht including the five women.

We found that the hotel owner, Ashok Gupta had given the hotel on lease to Ajay Jain and his partners for ₹15.75 lakhs per month. Ajay Jain and manager Surender Banger have also been arrested along with 38 persons indulging in gambling.”

According to the police, Vashisht was a former employee of a famous casino in Goa and was trained in running a gambling den. He has allegedly arranged casino tours in Sri Lanka and Cyprus in the past.

The arrested women reportedly worked to serve tokens and chips at the custom-made casino tables. Token and chips were given against cash payment as well as on credit. The venue organisers also provided for alcohol, live music and entertainment on the premises. The Crime Branch is interrogating the arrested people and further investigations are still ongoing.

Videogame Publisher EA Stops Sale of FIFA In-Game Currency in Belgium

Videogame publisher and producer of FIFA 18 and FIFA 19, Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that it will stop selling ‘FIFA Points’ in-game currency in Belgium.

The move comes in wake of an admonition from Belgium’s gambling regulator, Belgian Gambling Commission. The regulator had, in September underlined the fact that loot boxes were outlawed in the country. It had even communicated the possibility of initiating legal prosecution of the company.

Reacting to this, the country’s Minister of Justice Koen Greens stated that he was “very pleased” with EA’s agreement to remove loot boxes for the new FIFA offering.

It was in April 2018 that loot boxes were made illegal in Belgium. The boxes allow players to buy mystery packages that offer in-game items. The Belgian Gaming Commission called loot boxes an “illegal game of chance.”

The ‘FIFA Ultimate Team Mode’ (FUT) of EA’s FIFA 18 product allow players to use real money for buying FIFA points that can then be used on packs containing a mixture of mystery footballers.

EA’s loot box system drew criticism from parents, with a large section of gamers voicing concerns against the concept. The uproar led to many European Union (EU) gambling commissions to bring in gambling laws that require firms offering loot boxes in their game offerings to register for a gambling license.

EA had earlier refused to buckle under the regulator’s diktat but after the launch of FIFA 19 in October 2018, the company decided to stop offering FIFA points for sale in Belgium.

Cambodian Authorities Bust 2 Online Gambling Operations

It turned out to be truly unlucky for two online gambling operations that were just setting up shop in Cambodia. The country’s authorities busted two such illegal operations last weekend.

According to a Calvinayre report, a Chinese-led illegal racket that was running a gambling ring in the Siem Reap province was busted. The four arrested Chinese nationals, including a man identified as Mr. Jiang were arrested last Thursday. The accused were sent to judicial custody by a local court. Police has claimed that Jiang operated a gambling den by the name of ‘City Impression Entertainment World’. The company had registered its business on January 17, just a week before it was raided.

Just days before this, the Cambodian police had arrested 15 Chinese nationals suspected to be involved in illegal online gambling in Poipet. The arrests were made after local residents complained of odd behavior at the villa where the suspects were staying. However, the suspects were let go three days later, after police confirmed that the gambling den was yet to start operations. Police did confiscate phones, computers and other electronic devices from the group.

Cambodian laws permit businesses to acquire gambling license and 52 new casino licenses were issued in the country in 2018 alone. Despite this, illegal betting and gambling operations continue to be on the rise in the country.