Keno & Virtual Horse-Racing Now On Offer By Two Sikkim Online Gaming Operators

Online Gaming in Sikkim
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  • PG News December 8, 2015
  • 2 Minutes Read

After months of delay, two of the three licensed online gaming operators in Sikkim have begun offering services to players in the state, according to a report on Glaws.in. Golden Gaming International (formerly Maarm International) and Essel Group (Playwin Brand) are the two license-holders who have begun operations through intranet terminals, with keno and virtual horse-racing.

The licenses had been granted by the Sikkim government, after much dithering and alterations in the license conditions and Sikkim Online Gaming (Regulation) Act, so that operators were restricted to offering games within the state of Sikkim only and did not cross into other states. These licenses had been initiated by the Sikkim government, in the hopes of increasing tourist revenue, as well as raking in taxes worth crores of rupees. Speaking towards this, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling had earlier stated that such offerings were not to promote gambling among locals, but only to promote tourism in the state. He had even hinted that regulatory measures would be adopted to stop locals from indulging in gambling activities, however, there has been no further news on that issue forthcoming from the government.

According to the report, Golden Gaming International’ Director, Manoj Sethi has confirmed that operations have begun since November at about 40 to 50 outlets in Sikkim. Sethi further added that they are looking to increase their offerings portfolio with more games, such as poker, blackjack, roulette and cricket betting within the next few months. The company would also increase the pace, once all the above games had become operational.

The Essel Group is also believed to have begun similar offerings and should be soon expanding services to include sports betting products and more interactive games. Reports state that the other license holders are also hoping to start operations within the next few months.

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