PokerStars India to Launch Soon

India are growing faster than any online poker market right now. And PokerStars are set to take advantage of this trend with a new Indian-based site.

PokerStars' parent company, The Stars Group, have partnered with Sugal & Damani to open an online poker room. No details have been offered so far on when the site will open.

The Sachar Gaming Private Limited group own Sugal & Damani, which currently have a rummy site that hosts the Khelplay online poker room. Sugal & Damani also operate other businesses, including financial technology services, real estate listings, and a lottery.

PokerStars Accomplishes Long Term Goal

The Stars Group have been interested in India for the past few years. And their partnership with Sugal & Damani finally helps them realize their goal.

PokerStars had previously been unable to break into Indian poker. However, this recent deal gives them a foothold in the largest-growing internet poker market.

India's online poker market currently generate over $150 million per year. This is quite impressive when considering that there are multiple legal issues surrounding the game.

But certain areas of India have begun legalizing online poker. Many provincial governments see poker as a growing cash cow that will bring in additional revenue.

When can We Expect PokerStars India?

Sugal & Damani are closing the Khelplay poker room to make way for PokerStars India. The site currently has a "Coming Soon" message on the homepage.

Industry speculation is that The Stars Group's newest poker room could be running in late March or early April. This means it won’t be long until the internet poker's biggest brand are operating in India.

PokerStars have best marketing in online poker. Whenever their India online poker site does open, players will be sure to hear about it through advertising, email, and social media.

India could be World's Biggest Online Poker Market

India have the world's second-largest population with over 1.32 billion people. It's estimated that millions of Indians play home poker games on a regular basis.

This popularity has given rise to multiple internet poker sites like Adda52, Poker-Baazi and Spartan Poker. But there's plenty of growth potential with India's poker too.

Legal restrictions are currently holding many states and territories back in terms of playing online poker. If/when these restrictions are lifted, then we could see numerous people flood into the market.

The Stars Group spend a lot of money lobbying governments for legal internet poker. I'm sure that they'll do the same within India too now that they'll officially be up and operating.

PokerStars Continues to Grow Worldwide Reach

PokerStars have been making more forays into general online gaming recently, including their popular online casino and sportsbook. But they haven't forgotten their focus, which is still internet poker.

The main PokerStars site currently average around 11,000 cash game players per hour. PokerStars Europe draw another 1,700 cash players each hour, followed by PokerStars.it at 850 hourly players.

It's unclear how many players Stars will draw from India. But it's likely to be a significant amount as regulation opens more Indian states to the game.

As for PokerStars, they control two-thirds of the overall internet poker market and are featured in dozens of countries, including France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. They're also available in the American state of New Jersey. India are now yet another piece in their global domination of online poker.