The Nagaland government has granted a fifth license to manage and operate online poker.Baazi Networks Put will be able to offer online skill games across Indian states unless stated otherwise.

  The license was issued under the Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2016, which marked the territory as the first to pass this type of law to regulate the online skill games sector. The local government has given away five licenses in less than four months: it issued the first license to M/s K365 Web Assets Pvt. Ltd, an online poker site, in December. Managing director of the company Vinod Manoharan stated that the first license would mark a precedent and allow the local industry to blossom. Furthermore, he said that it was a good step towards the end of the discussion on whether online poker was legal or not in the country.

    Earlier this week KPMG released a report where it’s detailed that the gaming industry in India is estimated at US$60 billion annually. Online gaming is set to rise this figure whilst the sector is still waiting to be fully legalised and regulated in the country. Chairman Balbir Singh Chauhan said that the government could earn as much as US$2.6 billion every year in tax revenue.