Pokerstars delays India launch to Q3 or Q4 of 2017

Pokerstars, the world’s biggest poker website has delayed its plans to launch an India website by at least one or two quarters. According to remarks made by Amaya Group CEO Rafi Ashkenazi, the company hopes to launch its India operations by Quarter 3 or Quarter 4 of 2017 at the latest.

Ashkenazi added that the company views the Indian market positively but he does not expect India to contribute significantly to the Group’s revenues this financial year.

In November 2016 however, Ashkenazi had indicated that Amaya Group was planning to launch its India operations by the first or second quarter of 2017. He had also added that the company was in discussion with local partners in India for potential collaboration.

Ashkenazi’s latest remarks indicate that there has been a delay of at least one or two quarters from the company’s original target of launching by mid-2017.

It is learnt that Pokerstars is still scouting for local operations and has not yet signed any joint venture or collaboration agreement with a local partner. It is however understood that Pokerstars is in advanced stages of discussion with a couple of leading Indian gaming companies for a possible joint venture.

The Amaya Group on Friday announced that its revenues stood at US$317.3 million for the first quarter of 2017, which was a 10% year-on-year increase. Amaya has also proposed to change its corporate name to ‘The Stars Group Inc.’ and change its corporate headquarters from Montreal to Toronto to ‘more effectively manage its business and affairs’.