PokerStars India launches in three weeks with segregated player pool

The site has announced they're closing their dot-com client in India to open a local PokerStars India room.

Indian players received a message in the client which informed them about the upcoming changes. The segregated games will be running from April 17. The site teamed up with Sachiko Gaming Private Limited, one of the biggest gaming operator in the country.

“In India, we have entered into an arrangement with a well-established domestic licensed lottery and gaming operator, which will give our brand access to this highly populated market and ability to build awareness for both our PokerStars brand and the game itself,” - the Stars Group CEO Rafi Ashkenazi told investors in a meeting last week.

According to GLaws.in Sachiko is part of online games company Sachar Gaming. They operate Khelplay. com, an online poker room on MPN's India network. The new client will be quite similar to the dot-com version, the only difference will be the currency, as they'll offer games in rupees. The desktop and mobile software will remain the same, just like the VIP system and the games themselves. PokerStars.in will also restrict player-to-player transfers in order to conform to local anti-money laundering regulations. As sports betting and casino games are not permitted under the current licensing they won't be available. However, daily fantasy sports could be an option in the near future.

PokerStars also has its Team Pro from India. Aditya Argawal joined their forces back in 2015. Aditya is an accomplished poker pro with almost $1 million in total live earnings.

Aditya Argawal

In India poker has definitely gotten bigger, some even expect an Indian-based new poker boom. Many of the key players of the industry are present there. Global Poker League India launched in September 2017 while WPTDeepStack held an event in the country last November.