The World Poker Tour landed a key expansion into the Indian market, after cementing a collaboration with PokerBaazi.
It’s a collaboration that looks to provide PokerBaazi players with the WPT experience and offer opportunities for Indian poker enthusiasts to participate in world-class events.
As a result, PokerBaazi will host WPT tournaments online, enabling Indian players to compete in events remotely.
“We are proud to partner with PokerBaazi and expand our presence in India, adding to the WPT Global player base,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “India is a fast-growing market for poker, and through this collaboration, we look forward to nurturing new talent and giving Indian players a pathway to poker stardom.”
PokerBaazi currently hosts some of India’s biggest Poker tournaments like the G.O.A.T, National Poker Series India, Indian Poker Masters, and more.
Navkiran Singh, Founder and CEO at Baazi Games (PokerBaazi), added: “We are excited to join forces with the World Poker Tour and expand further in bringing an elite poker experience to our players in India.
“This partnership reinforces our commitment to providing the best opportunities and platforms for Indian players to excel on both national and global stages.”
Whilst the expansion represents an exciting new era for poker in India, there have been frustrations for operators in the market in recent times.
Most recently the 54th Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council concluded with no changes made to the 28% GST levy.
There were widespread calls from the industry for it to be transitioned into a tax on Gross Gaming Revenue rather than deposits, in a bid to secure stability.However, these appeals have been dismissed by the governance in the region.
For the WPT, this marked a continued effort to diversify its offerings, as it confirmed it would continue to work with Wynn Macau despite a recent setback in the region.
Upon the cancellation of the event, an official statement from the WPT said: “Macau, which was scheduled to take place in June, will not move forward. WPT, Wynn Macau, and Allied Gaming and Entertainment regret any inconvenience or disappointment for players from around the world who were planning to travel to Macau and play in the event.
“WPT remains committed to working with Wynn Macau and AGAE in the future to bring world-class poker tournaments back to the region.”
