Two more companies receive Nagaland online skill games license [Updated]

As per news reports and a post on the Pokerhigh Facebook page, Quantumskill Gaming and Tech. Pvt. Ltd., which operates the online poker website pokerhigh.com has received the third license from the Nagaland state government to operate online games of skill. Another company, WYZ Games Pvt. Ltd. which operates the poker website pokabunga.com has also obtained the license from the Nagaland state government, taking the total number of companies to have obtained the license to four. All four companies have obtained the license only for one game, i.e. poker.

The license is for only one game, i.e. poker, but this could not be independently verified at this stage. A statement on the Pokerhigh Facebook page reads as follows:

Quantumskill Gaming & Tech Pvt. Ltd., the holding company of www.pokerhigh.com is proud to announce that we have been issued a license for online poker (No limit Texas Holdem & Pot Limit Omaha) under the ‘Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling & Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act 2016.’

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING this new Act that is a groundbreaking moment in poker history.

The news could neither be independently verified at this stage nor was a copy of the Nagaland online skill games license posted on the Pokerhigh website. Mithun Rebello, Director of Quantumskill Gaming and Tech Pvt. Ltd. did not confirm the news of award of license at the time of writing this article (despite repeated attempts to reach out to him) and chose not to answer queries raised by Glaws, unlike extensive statements given by other license holders.

Update 1: Mithun Rebello has replied to the questions raised by Glaws and added that the delay in reverting was because he was travelling. Following are his comments on the license:

Quantumskill Gaming & Tech Pvt. Ltd., (QSG) the holding company of www.pokerhigh.com has been issued a license for online poker (No limit Texas Hold em and Pot Limit Omaha) under the Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling & Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act.

We are proud to have been issued a license under the Ground breaking Act which certainly goes a long way in legalising and promoting skill based gaming in India.

We launched PokerHigh.com in May 2015 and have been committed to providing poker players a seamless, fair & genuine poker experience. True to our commitment we launched our new and improved product in September this year which is smooth, feature rich and certified by Itech labs Australia.

Our stellar team of poker professionals have been involved in promoting education and awareness of poker in India with the intention of bringing this awesome mind sport out of the shadows.

The License gives a huge boost to our efforts and creates a more accessible gateway to skill gaming horizons. The Act provides much needed clarity on the legalisation and regulation of poker and other skill based games in India. The efforts of the Nagaland government must be truly appreciated and applauded.

Update 2: Gaurav Gaggar, Director of WYZ  Games Pvt. Ltd. confirmed the development and commented as follows:

Yes we have received a license for poker right now and intend to get for the bouquet of games soon. This is a game changer for India as it allows serious and ethical companies to cater to clients as differentiated from other fly by night operators. Clients and other stake holders of the industry gain with more transparency. Regulation ensures player protection and relative safety for payment gateways. Over all a historic move for skill based gaming industry in India. Exciting times.