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Esports set to debut at Asian Games 2022, Indian esports contingent reacted after the postponed of prestigious event

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Following detailed discussions with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC), the OCA Executive Board (EB) decided to postpone the 19th Asian Games, which were scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China, from 10 to 25 September 2022. The new dates of the 19th Asian Games will be agreed between the OCA, the COC and the HAGOC and announced in the near future. However, the above decision was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the Games.

The Olympic Council of Asia has earlier announced the titles for the debut of esports as an official medal sport at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September 2022. There will be eight medal events, plus two demonstration games, reflecting the popularity and growth of electronic sports in Asia.
Recently, following eight days of high-voltage competition and nail-biting action in the ESFI’s National Esports Championship 2022 (NESC ’22), the winners have been selected to represent the country at the prestigious continental tournament.

1. FIFA22 – Charanjot Singh and Karman Singh Tikka
2. Street Fighter V – Mayank Prajapati and Ayan Biswas
3. Hearthstone – Shikhar Choudhary and Karthik Varma
4. League of Legends – Captain Akshaj Shenoy, Samarth Arvind Trivedi, Mihir Ranjan, Aditya Selvaraj, Aakash Shandilya and Sanindhya Malik
5. DOTA 2 – Captain Moin Ejaz, Krish, Abhishek, Ketan, Darshan and Shubham

After hearing the Asian Games postponement news, Mr Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF) said “The well-being of the athletes is the top priority and this news is expected as there was news floating about the covid resurgence in China. While the wait gets longer but the excitement remains the same. We should look at this as a blessing in disguise, giving our Indian esports contingent more time to sharpen their skills to further our chances of podium finishes.
Can’t wait to watch Indian Esports athletes in action on the Asian stage”

As esports is going to make its debut at the Asian Games 2022, earlier in 2018 it was there as a demonstration title. Indian Esports contingent for the Asian Games 2022 came to surprise after hearing this news and put their thoughts:

FIFA22 athlete Charanjot Singh:
All of us athletes are gutted by the news of the postponement of the Asian Games, but we’ll continue to give our everything in practice leading up to the tournament. The postponement gives us more time to practice and get better for the Asian games.

FIFA22 athlete Karman Singh Tikka:
As Asian Games is postponed, it’s hard to digest it because it somewhat kills your excitement as an athlete. But at the same time, it gives us more time to prepare for the Asian games. We can use this extended timeline to our advantage by grinding more, making strategies against other Asian FIFA athletes and reading their gameplays to be prepared in a better way.

Street Fighter V athlete Mayank Prajapati:
I can’t say I’m not disappointed by hearing the news, but it was kind of expected given the COVID-19 situation. I’m gonna take it positively because I’m going to get more time to practice. Ever since I started preparing myself for the qualifiers/tournament I’ve made progress better than I did in the last 4 years. So I’m gonna keep practising and hopefully, I’ll be able to finally compete in Asian Games. Whenever it’s going to happen, I’ll be prepared.

Street Fighter V athlete Ayan Biswas:
It feels very bad that the game has been postponed because of the covid outbreak. But nothing we can do as the situation is bad. Human lives are the most important thing and I have to keep patience and practice every day till the game happens. We will use this extended time to upskill our game, make better strategies against other Asian athletes and delve deep to understand their gameplay.

Shikhar Choudhary, Indian Hearthstone contingent member:
It is pretty shocking news. All the players are already training and have scheduled everything around the Asian games 2022. I am already dedicating all of my time to the game. Hope the situation in China will become normal soon, and it would not be postponed to a very distant date.

Karthik Varma, Indian Hearthstone contingent member:
Games are postponed for a genuine reason and I, as an athlete will focus on continuing my practice and my training plan. It really doesn’t affect anything from my side as I am only focusing on my part which is giving my best and keep grinding to bring a medal for India.

Akshaj Shenoy, Team India League of Legends Captain:
Firstly I would like to wish China a speedy recovery and hope the situation doesn’t worsen for them. It deeply saddens me to know that the Asian Games has been postponed but on the bright side, we can use the extra months of practice and come back stronger and give them a mightier battle.

Moin Ejaz, Team India DOTA 2 Captain:
We were very excited and looking forward to playing in this year’s Asian Games to represent India and the face the good teams from other counties but now since the Asian games got postponed we will have to wait till the next dates are fixed. On the brighter side, it will give us more time to practise and bring our A-game into the esports arena with better coordination, communication and strategy within our team.

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Macao Casino Sector Salaries Hit a 10-year High

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Salaries in Macao’s gambling industry have climbed to their highest level in a decade, with average earnings for full-time employees increasing 2.4% year-on-year to 27,390 patacas, according to the second quarter survey on manpower needs and wages by the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).

Average monthly earnings for resident full-time casino employees were slightly lower – 27,340 patacas per month – but also rose by 2.4%. Since 2023, the average pay for non-resident workers has exceeded that of residents, with non-resident managers now earning an average of 90,000 patacas a month.

DSEC attributed the quarter’s rises “mainly to increases in salaries.”

The number of full-time workers in the gambling sector edged up by 380 over the past year, reaching 52,898 at the end of the second quarter. Most were local directors and managers.

The sector reported 208 job vacancies at the end of June, with clerical roles accounting for more than half. Just under half of the roles required work experience, while 74.1% required only senior secondary education or lower.

Demand for manpower has “gradually stabilised,” DSEC noted, as both the employee turnover rate (1.6%) and recruitment rate (1.1%) dropped year-on-year.

The survey does not cover junket promoters or their associates.

The post Macao Casino Sector Salaries Hit a 10-year High appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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ED Arrests Karnataka MLA Veerendra “Puppy” in Illegal Betting Case

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The Indian Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into Karnataka Congress MLA K.C. Veerendra, also known as “Puppy,” over alleged involvement in a large-scale money laundering and illegal betting operation. The legislator, arrested in Sikkim on Saturday, August 23, was brought to Bengaluru on Sunday for further questioning in connection with financial transactions tied to casinos in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Georgia.

Veerendra was apprehended in Gangtok, where he had reportedly been pursuing a deal to lease land for a casino venture. After his arrest, he was produced before a special court in Bengaluru, which granted ED custody until August 28. To prevent any incidents during his transfer, strict security was enforced at Kempegowda International Airport, and he was quickly escorted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

Authorities confirmed that multi-state raids preceded the arrest, covering 31 locations across India, including Bengaluru, Hubballi, Chitradurga, Goa, Jodhpur, Mumbai and Sikkim. Five casinos in Goa—Puppy’s Casino Gold, Ocean Rivers Casino, Puppy’s Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino, and Big Daddy Casino—were also raided as part of the ongoing probe.

According to ED sources, preliminary findings suggest that Veerendra maintained financial links with casinos and shell companies operating in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Georgia. Evidence gathered during the raids points to overseas transactions and the use of foreign entities to launder large sums of money, some of which may have originated from cyber fraud. Officials suspect that these funds were “converted into white money” by being disguised as credit card transactions.

Documents recovered from multiple properties also revealed that Veerendra was in the process of finalising a deal to acquire a casino from Santiago Martin, a businessman widely recognised as the “lottery king” of Tamil Nadu. Martin is already under investigation by the ED in a separate money laundering case and is known for his financial ties to political figures.

Incriminating evidence seized from Veerendra’s residences, including Rs 12 crore in cash and a significant quantity of jewelry, is now being analysed. The ED has also uncovered records suggesting that his brother, K.C. Thippeswamy, managed three Dubai-based entities—Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies and Prime9Technologies—believed to be connected to their gaming and call centre businesses.

The post ED Arrests Karnataka MLA Veerendra “Puppy” in Illegal Betting Case appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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India Bans Real-Money Gaming

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India’s lower house of parliament has passed a sweeping online gaming bill that, while promoting esports and casual gaming without monetary stakes, imposes a blanket ban on real-money games — threatening to disrupt billions of dollars in investment and significantly impact the real-money gaming industry, which could see widespread shutdowns.

Titled the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, the legislation aims to prohibit real-money games nationwide — whether based on skill or chance — and ban both their advertisement and associated financial transactions.

“In this bill, priority has been given to the welfare of society and to avoid a big evil that is creeping into society,” India’s IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Parliament while introducing the bill.

The proposed legislation restricts banks and other financial institutions from allowing transactions for real-money games in the country. Anyone offering these games could face imprisonment for up to three years, a fine of up to ₹10 million (approximately $115,000), or both. Additionally, celebrities promoting such games on any media platform could be liable for up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of ₹5 million (roughly $57000), the bill states.

Vaishnaw said the decision to bring the legislation was to address several incidents of harm, including cases where individuals reportedly died by suicide after losing money in games. However, industry stakeholders largely attribute these incidents to offshore betting and gambling apps, which many believe will not be addressed by this legislation.

“This law is bound to face litigation as it fails the test of proportionality under Article 19(1)(g). Instead of safeguarding consumers, it dismantles compliant onshore companies while opening the door wider for illegal offshore betting platforms that are the real source of financial harm,” said Meghna Bal, director of the New Delhi-based think tank Esya Centre.

Article 19(1)(g) of India’s Constitution guarantees citizens the right to practice any profession or carry on any occupation, trade or business.

Ahead of the bill’s introduction in the Indian Parliament, industry bodies wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to intervene. The letter — sent by the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports, All India Gaming Federation and E-Gaming Federation warned that the proposed legislation could benefit “illegal offshore gambling operations” while forcing Indian businesses to shut down. These industry bodies represent Dream Sports, MPL, WinZO, Gameskraft, Nazara Technologies and Zupee, among other real-money gaming companies.

“By shutting down regulated and responsible Indian platforms, it will drive [millions] of players into the hands of illegal matka networks, offshore gambling websites, and fly-by-night operators who operate without any safeguards, consumer protections, or taxation,” the letter stated. (Matka is a form of illegal gambling that originated in India, involving betting on random numbers.)

The three industry bodies estimated that real-money gaming startups in India have a combined enterprise valuation of ₹2 trillion (approximately $23 billion), generate cumulative revenues of ₹310 billion (around $3.6 billion), and contribute ₹200 billion (roughly $2.29 billion) annually in direct and indirect taxes. They also project a 28% compound annual growth rate that would double the industry’s size by 2028. The industry groups warned that the blanket ban could result in the loss of more than 200,000 jobs and the closure of over 400 companies.

A similar letter was also written to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah by these three industry associations.

The bill was passed by voice vote in a noisy lower house less than seven minutes after it was introduced for debate. It now requires approval from the upper house and the president to become law.

Meanwhile, some companies in casual gaming and esports have welcomed the move.

“We applaud this decision as it allows us to focus on the ongoing concerns as a business — monetization, retention, and most importantly, building great IP for India and the world, rather than having to explain to our audiences what we are to begin with,” said Sumit Batheja, CEO and co-founder of Ginger Games, which is part of Krafton’s Indian gaming incubator and makes hyper casual games.

Krafton is the South Korean gaming company behind the popular battle royale game PUBG.

In 2023, the Indian government amended the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to curb “user harm” from real-money games and proposed self-regulatory bodies to limit illegal betting and gambling while allowing legitimate games. However, the self-regulation approach faltered due to conflicts among industry stakeholders over enforcement and standards.

New Delhi imposed a 28% tax on online gaming in 2023 to curb real-money play, prompting an outcry from industry stakeholders. Top investors — including Tiger Global, Peak XV Partners and Kotak — urged Modi to reconsider, warning of $2.5 billion in write-offs and the potential loss of one million jobs. The tax, however, remained in place, even as companies challenged its retrospective application in the Supreme Court. Recent reports suggest it may be revised upward to 40% under new rules.

The post India Bans Real-Money Gaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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