Deepavali gamers in Tamil Nadu ace online rummy

Roland Landers, CEO, All India Gaming Federation, apex body of the Indian Gaming Industry, says, “Over 15,000 unique players login on a daily basis from TN. October and November, the festive seasons are the peak months for it as you see lots of app-based competitions being held close to Deepavali. The value of the business is Rs 500-600 crore in S India annually. And Rs 150 crore worth of rummy revenues are generated in TN.”

Deepak Gullapalli, CEO and founder of Ace2Three, an online rummy platform, says, “We do Deepavali tournaments almost every year, with 50,000 to 60,000 participants across India.”

Rummy has been backed by the SC as a game of skill and it’s also a Real Money Game (RMG). This has also spawned a subculture of Rummy enthusiasts. Kalaiselvan, a cab driver, says, “While waiting for passengers, I get busy with rummy. I have set aside a sum every month to utilise for rummy payment. I play well and earn enough to surprise my wife and kids with a little something extra on such festive occasions.”