Skyesports, the premier global IP and community builder, has successfully wrapped up the first-ever edition of Gaming Thiruvizha at the Chennai Trade Centre on August 30–31, bringing together more than 17,000 fans across two unforgettable days of gaming, anime, stand-up comedy, cosplay, music, and culture.

Gaming Thiruvizha turned out to be more than an event as it became a two-day carnival. From esports showdowns at LAN zones to cosplay walks, live stand-up, and Tamil cultural showcases, the Chennai crowd transformed the Trade Centre into a festival that truly belonged to them. Fans didn’t just attend; they stayed, celebrated, and created memories together.

The audience mix was as vibrant as the festival itself: college students, families, and kids all came together, proving that gaming and anime are no longer niche hobbies, but shared cultural movements.

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Powered by AMD, with ticketing exclusively on KYN, Gaming Thiruvizha was hosted in association with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and supported by AGS Cinemas as the Chennai Edition Theatre Partner.

Commenting on the conclusion of the Gaming Thiruvizha, Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO, Skyesports, said, “We couldn’t have asked for a better first edition of the Gaming Mahotsav. The energy of the crowd and the diversity of the audience reminded us why we built this IP — to bridge the gap between casual gamers and esports, and to create a space where gaming, anime, and culture thrive together. Next up, we will be bringing the concept to Bangalore in late September,” said Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO of Skyesports.

The festival also welcomed dignitaries including Meghantha Reddy (Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu), Darez A. (MD, Guidance Tamil Nadu), and Gayathri Thyagarajan (Founder & CEO, Kynhood Technologies), underlining the growing recognition of gaming and esports as part of Tamil Nadu’s cultural and creative economy.

Highlights of the event include:

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• LAN tournaments across BGMI, Valorant, and other titles, with fans cheering players on in true stadium style.
• A pan-India Cosplay competition bringing cosplayers from across the country with stunning costumes judged by top creators and anime experts.
• Red Bull Armageddon, India’s first all-Armageddon format chess tournament, brought together over 350 players in Chennai with International Master Tania Sachdev and Grandmaster M. Shyam Sundar leading the action.
• Merch alleys buzzing with anime and gaming collectibles alongside local Tamil art.
• Stand-out experiential booths and meet-and-greets with Team Tamilas, Autobotz Esports, and Welt Esports.
• PVR Cinemas set up local food experience stalls for attendees

With India on track to reach 700 million gamers by 2027, and anime/cosplay engagement skyrocketing across social media, Gaming Thiruvizha demonstrated that hyperlocal, immersive festivals are the way forward.

Gaming Thiruvizha is the first chapter of Skyesports’ Gaming Mahotsav, a six-city touring pop culture festival with regional editions in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kochi, and Pune. Each stop blends gaming, anime, music, comics, and local culture into one cohesive community celebration.

Following the passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 on August 21, the government of India imposes a complete ban on online money games, alongside the advertisements related to the sector.

Passed by the parliament, any financial transactions related to these platforms would be considered unlawful as stated under the Information Technology Act of 2000. The legislation also aims to establish a national-level regulatory authority that will govern the categorising and registration of online games.

The said authority shall issue guidelines, codes of practice and directions for compliance, with strict punishments induced, leading to imprisonment for up to three years, and a fine to one crore rupees or 114,017 USD.

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The advertisement of the said games is also punishable with similar penalties, with imprisonment up to two years and a fine of up to fifty lakh rupees 1140 USD.

While the law prohibited online money gaming such poker, rummy and fantasy sports that offer cash rewards, e-sports are considered and recognised as a legitimate competitive sport in India, and is not included in the total ban, as well as online social games or casual games that are recreational in nature.

This draws that the bill-turned-law, used a “balanced approach” since recognising that the online gaming sector is one of the most dynamic segments in the digital and creative economy, hence, still allowing esports and online social games.

This came after the report of over 45 crore or 45,000,000 people were reportedly affected by online money games and have lost more than Rs. 20,000 crores or 2,280.414 USD, according to Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology.

According to the same ministry, the total ban was driven by the following reasons:

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• Addiction and Financial Ruin

• Mental Health and Suicide

• Fraud and Money Laundering

• Threat to National Security

• Closing Legal Loopholes

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• Encouraging Healthy Alternatives

Meanwhile, the bill also stated that while the online gaming authority governs the registration of online games, the central government still has the authority to frame the rules for the promotion and advertisement of e-sports, online social games and other rules related under the law.

In total, the legislation aims to safeguard vulnerable populations, particularly the middle class and youth by introducing these strict regulations and a greater emphasis on brand responsibility and ethical advertising.

Salaries in Macao’s gambling industry have climbed to their highest level in a decade, with average earnings for full-time employees increasing 2.4% year-on-year to 27,390 patacas, according to the second quarter survey on manpower needs and wages by the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).

Average monthly earnings for resident full-time casino employees were slightly lower – 27,340 patacas per month – but also rose by 2.4%. Since 2023, the average pay for non-resident workers has exceeded that of residents, with non-resident managers now earning an average of 90,000 patacas a month.

DSEC attributed the quarter’s rises “mainly to increases in salaries.”

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The number of full-time workers in the gambling sector edged up by 380 over the past year, reaching 52,898 at the end of the second quarter. Most were local directors and managers.

The sector reported 208 job vacancies at the end of June, with clerical roles accounting for more than half. Just under half of the roles required work experience, while 74.1% required only senior secondary education or lower.

Demand for manpower has “gradually stabilised,” DSEC noted, as both the employee turnover rate (1.6%) and recruitment rate (1.1%) dropped year-on-year.

The survey does not cover junket promoters or their associates.