“Lack of public awareness and clarity are hindering the growth of Poker in India” – Pranav Bagai

In an interview with The Gaming Reporter, Pranav Bagai, Co-Founder and CEO of Poker Sports League shared his views on the recent online games ban in Tamil Nadu, lack of public awareness and convincing non-endemic sponsors.

The Gaming Reporter – How has the response for PSL-V been so far?

Pranav Bagai – Unfortunately, earlier in the year when the pandemic hit, we could not go ahead with season 3. However, considering the widespread use of the online medium, we decided to bring back Poker Sports League in a new virtual format – Poker Sports League Virtual (PSL V). The idea behind PSL was to sportify the game of poker through a unique, online-based format and establish poker as a mind sport. With PSL-V, our aim was to revolutionize traditional poker by creating virtual poker tournaments and their live streaming for a wider reach.

TGR – How has the COVID-19 situation affected Poker Sports League?

PB – The journey so far has been extremely rewarding and we are overwhelmed with the kind of response that our exhibition tournament – Virtual Poker League and the recently concluded online qualifiers for PSL-V have received from the poker community and the enthusiasts. We are positive for an increased participation and have already onboarded 6 team owners. With this, we are planning to add 2 more teams and looking for the right partner to be our next team owner.

Moreover, as a company into live gaming, our focus was completely on live events but due the unprecedented times the company had to move every single aspect of our business online. I am extremely proud of how the team has turned around the present situation in our favor.

TGR – What are your thoughts on the recent online games ban in Tamil Nadu? Will it affect the entire Indian gaming ecosystem? How will it impact platforms like yours i.e. Poker Sports League?

PB – The recent ban on online gaming in Tamil Nadu will of course affect the gaming ecosystem in India but the ban may not affect Poker Sports League directly as we are a free to play platform with a 100 percent legal business model. To play on our platform and be a part of PSL, one does not have to stake or wager money.

When studied in depth, the line between gambling and sports betting is well-defined. However, with the recent decision of the state governments, the definition will get diluted on a superficial level and leave a high fraction of Indian population confused. This in turn, will further spread negative sentiment around skill-based games like poker.

Furthermore, with such bans coming into effect, people will be forced to find alternate ways to play online games, perhaps through illegal sites and other means, jeopardizing the efforts of the gaming ecosystem in India to offer a safe and responsible gaming experience to all its users.

TGR – How difficult is it to convince non-endemic sponsors who don’t understand poker or consider it as a competitive skill-based game?

PB – It is definitely very difficult. While certain sections of the society have understood the skill aspect of poker, a widespread perception change will take time. There still exists a negative sentiment around poker and it continues to be confused with gambling and sports betting.

Over the years, PSL has played a pivotal role in increasing poker’s popularity in India by putting on display – a combination of skill, mathematics, decision making and grit which are required in the right mix to emerge as a poker champion. Being India’s first poker league and the world’s biggest poker league in terms of prize pool and participation, PSL has enhanced the game’s mass appeal by taking it on national television during the past seasons. Our association with the grand master Viswanathan Anand has also helped in establishing Poker as a mind sport and encouraging more and more poker enthusiasts to join the league.

TGR – How does Poker Sports League ensure that only responsible gaming happens on the platform?

PB – We ensure responsible gaming by design as being a free to play platform, we do not charge any money from the players who play with us at PSL. Moreover, as a responsible corporate, we are stringent in our policies and that was exactly our thought behind establishing Poker Sports League – to promote poker as a game of skill.

TGR – How does Poker Sports League differentiate itself from its competitors?

PB – As the parent company – Mind Sports League, the kind of ecosystem that we have built with the three entities – Poker Sports League, Hashtag Productions and Hashtag Poker is unique in itself. The fact that we do the production along with having a platform that is free to play, there is no other company who has done that.

With regards to the league in specific, there have been no other leagues/platforms that have switched to virtual as we have. The fact that we were able to adapt to the online medium sooner, is a commendable feat in itself. Furthermore, even in terms of prize pool and participation we are the biggest.

TGR – Do you think the lack of public awareness about poker being a real skill-based game is hindering its growth and stopping it from going mainstream? If yes, what can be done to fix the issue?

PB – Definitely, lack of public awareness and clarity are the key reasons hindering the growth of Poker in India. On the face of it, poker may seem to be a luck-based game, but looking at it holistically, it is purely a game of skill. For instance, if a player takes decisions which will make him/her win a single hand 60 % of the time, then the decision-making process is correct. Though, what players have to realize is that 40% of the time, the correct decision will still lead to a person losing the hand, since there are cards involved. But in the long run, if you keep making decisions that are 60% correct, the 10% edge will ensure that you end up being a winning player. Thus proving that poker is all about making the right decisions over a period of time which requires skill similar to other mind sports like chess.

See as an industry we will have to continue making efforts to spread awareness about the sport and explain the skill aspect. Getting brand ambassadors and more reliable and credible people to promote the game is another way. Further with the proliferation of poker leagues, the sport is reaching out to a wider audience that are now understanding the skill that goes behind winning a league.

Also, I feel, with Hashtag Poker, there will be gradual perception change that will happen as people will realize that they do not need to gamble with poker. They can play with their friends and family, more from a social bonding experience perspective.

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