Asia

9stacks Launches Pokerface With Gopal Datt: India’s First Poker Chat Show

Published

4 years ago

May 21, 2019

9stacks Launches Pokerface With Gopal Datt: India's First Poker Chat Show

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Pokerface with Gopal Datt is a first-of-its-kind poker chat show which celebrates the lives and stories of poker players. This first episode can be watched on the 9stacks YouTube Channel here. Episode 2 of the series was released on Friday, 17th May 2019, on the 9stacks YouTube channel. The episode that has Datt interview poker heavyweight Deepak Bothraand TVF Bachelors fame Badri Chavan, can be watched here.

The twist is that each episode features one actor/celebrity and one poker player, and gets both to spill the beans about their journey to fame and fortune. In a fun way, this draws parallels between the featured celebrities and poker players and celebrates the achievements of both guests.

The first episode of the show, hosted by Gopal Datt (the Internet’s very own funny man), features Amol Parashar, of TVF Tripling fame, and one of India’s top poker players Nishant Sharma. Last year Nishant won the highest ever prize money by an Indian poker player at the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas.

Nishant, along with fellow poker pro Vivek Rughani, was part of the 9stacks Team India at the World Series of Poker and they became the first two Indians to enter the top 100 in the prestigious WSOP Main Event. Read the article here.

In the episode, Nishant speaks candidly about achieving his poker dreams and how he became a ‘Hero’ for other players in the industry. Many players now come to him for advice on their gameplay and some even ask him for selfies. His ‘Bina Darre’ playing style has won many hearts.

Nishant is accompanied by the celebrated actor Amol Parashar, who is also an avid poker player himself. An IIT Delhi alumnus, Amol was always into acting and was very interested in theatre. Amol recalled how his poker skills helped him sniff out a bluff early in his career: “Once I was offered a film with big casts like Mr. Amitabh Bachhan, Naseeruddin Shah, Sharman Joshi. Since I was new in the industry, I was asked to attend the workshop for the same where I was asked to pay Rs. 15,000 as room rent. I couldnt help but smell a bluff there. I mean, after all, if they were such a big film company, they surely wouldn’t ask me to pay Rs. 15,000 to book a room to rehearse in, right?”

Many more revelations came in the rapid fire segment of the show where the answers were ‘rapid and full of fire’. Unlike Koffee with Karan, the guests here got a lot of love instead of hampers!

Source: 9stacks

About 9stacks:

9stacks is India’s fastest growing online poker platform which provides a fun gaming experience with its easy-to-use interface, fastest withdrawals, attractive promotions and leaderboard prizes.

Asia

PAGCOR Licensees Give PHP60-M for New VMMC Wing

Published

5 days ago

September 26, 2023

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Veterans Memorial Medical Center will soon have more patient rooms with the start of construction for the Magiting Veterans Wing on Friday, September 22, through a Php60 million grant from two licensees of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

The Magiting Veterans Wing is a project initiated by the Philippine Military Academy Magiting Class of 1970 with funding support from Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc. (BCFI) and Newport World Resorts Foundation, Inc. (NWRFI), among others.

The two foundations, representing Solaire Resort and Newport World Resorts, respectively, each released Php30 million with PAGCOR’s approval.

The project will be carried out in two phases. The first will be sponsored by BCFI and covers civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, masonry works and roof deck waterproofing while the second phase will be funded by NWRFI and consists of works, fixtures and devices.

The Magiting Wing will have a total floor area of 1379.84 square meters and will house 12 new private rooms inclusive of four suites, a nurse station, lounge area, hallway, storage, access ramp and connecting bridge to the main hospital building.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said the agency approved the grant from the casino foundations because of the project’s noble objective.

“PAGCOR recognizes the patriotism and sacrifice of Filipino veterans who dedicated their youth, vigor, strength and even lives for our country. By supporting this noble project, we show our gratitude to our modern-day heroes and their families,” he said.

Tengco said all integrated resort casino licensees in the country are required to put up a foundation to fund Corporate Social Responsibility programs on education infrastructure, health facilities, environmental preservation and cultural heritage restoration.

Two percent of the licensees’ gross gaming revenues from non-junket tables automatically go to such foundations.

Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, who graced the ceremonial concrete pouring for the project, expressed gratitude to the project supporters.

“As donee, we will provide the necessary maintenance and other operating expenditures to see to it that your donations will not go to waste,” he said.

Teodoro said other plans to improve the welfare of Filipino veterans include decentralising the VMMC’s services and the upskilling of hospital personnel so that doctors and specialists can focus more on caring for patients.

“No soldier ever retires. They are always a part of the system. They provide guidance and support to our active personnel hence their job as a soldier is never done,” he said.

Aside from BCFI and NWRFI, other major sponsors of the Magiting Veterans Wing project are DMCI, San Miguel Corporation and some retired military personnel.

Asia

Dubai Racing Club Opts for TPD’s Horse Tracking Solution

Published

1 week ago

September 21, 2023

Hunor Pal

Reading Time: < 1 minutes

Total Performance Data, the world’s leading horse racing live data provider, has announced today that Dubai Racing Club is a new client.

Following successful live trials at last Spring’s Super Saturday and Dubai World Cup meetings, Dubai Racing Club has signed a multi-year deal to use TPD’s services beginning with the new season at Meydan Racecourse on Friday 10 November. This extends TPD’s content footprint in the fast-growing Middle Eastern horseracing scene where both of Saudi Arabia’s racecourses are already live.

TPD will produce live and post-race timing stats for every horse as well as live running order graphics for the world’s biggest set of on course screens, including the new 4k big screen.

Will Duff Gordon, CEO of TPD, commented: “We are very excited to be further enriching the wonderful racing that takes place at Meydan and look forward to a successful partnership. I’d like to thank our engineering partners at Gmax for so rapidly delivering the live service back in March.”

Mohammed Riaz, Head of IT for Dubai Racing Club, said: “When Trakus ceased trading we were impressed with the speed of set up and quality of output when Gmax and TPD met our needs for the climax of last season. We are excited to use this content on our new 4k big screen as well as for our international audience.”

The new season at Meydan Racecourse begins on Friday, November 10^th and concludes with the $30.5million Dubai World Cup meeting on Saturday, March 30^th.

Asia

Niko Partners ‘India Games Market’ Report – India retains title as Asia’s fastest-growing video games market in 2023

Published

1 week ago

September 21, 2023

Hunor Pal

Reading Time: < 1 minutes

The recently published “India Games Market Report 2023” report by Niko Partners, states that India retained its title as the fastest-growing video games market in Asia. The total gamers in India are forecasted to have surged a remarkable 343% in the 10 years between 2017 and 2027, climbing to 641.2 million in 2027.

Video games revenue is also on the rise, forecast to increase 21% YoY in 2023 to $868 million. Factors such as higher disposable income, the growth of internet connectivity, and low-cost smartphones are propelling India’s video games market forward.

Below are the key findings of the report:

Meteoric rise in revenue: Niko Partners projects India video games revenue across all platforms to reach $868 million in 2023, up 21.2% YoY. India’s video game market is the fastest growing by gamers and revenue, which is forecast to reach $1.6 billion by 2027, growing at a 5-year CAGR of 17.2%. The report excludes revenue generated from Real Money Games.

Player base keeps on expanding: The number of gamers in India across all platforms is forecast to reach 444 million in 2023, up 12.1% YoY, and reach 641.2 million in 2027, growing at a 5-year CAGR of 10.1%.

Dominance of mobile gaming: India is a mobile-first market with 96.8% of total gamers playing on a smartphone or tablet.

Game-spending is on an upward trajectory: 31% of the 444.4 million gamers will spend on video games in 2023, with annual ARPPU reaching $6.38.

Esports continues to gain momentum: 71.8% of the total gamers have engaged with Esports by either playing an Esports game, watching or participating in an Esports tournament.

Encouraging factors in terms of revenue growth and brand investment: The return of BGMI and Free Fire are positive signs for the industry and foreign game companies looking to enter the market.