Asia
NODWIN Gaming celebrates Chess at DreamHack, India’s largest digital festival

NODWIN Gaming, ChessBase India and comedian Samay Raina will be joining forces to further elevate the DreamHack experience for fans; a total prize pool of Rs.20 lakh on offer for the winners of this grand chess celebration
The Gaming X Chess fusion event will host a nail-biting death match on Nov 5 between two of India’s young grand masters Gukesh D and Arjun Erigaisi; for the first time ever, Comedians over the Board (COTB) will also go live at DreamHack
For fans awaiting NODWIN Gaming’s upcoming DreamHack event scheduled from November 4-6, there is an epic announcement as the party just got bigger! The much-anticipated three-day gaming event has in store a surprise for the audience with the celebration of all things ‘Chess’! In addition to an over-the-edge excitement of all the gaming fun at the event, the inclusion of chess in the largest digital festival is set to generate a palpable buzz.
In partnership with comedian Samay Raina and ChessBase India, NODWIN Gaming, the Gaming and esports arm of Nazara Technologies, has planned a chess celebration which includes an open tournament, a death-match between two leading grandmasters – Gukesh D and Arjun Erigaisi, Comedians over the Board (COTB), free chess workshops, along with some fun activities like Hand-and-brain, a Simul exhibition and meet-and-greet with other chess stars. A total prize pool of Rs.10 lakh has been announced for the winners of the DreamHack Rapid and Blitz chess tournaments that are open to all.
“By bringing a much respected and one of the oldest sports like chess to the DreamHack, we’re giving fans the experience of a lifetime! The super success of our Chess Super League showed us how loved the game is in India and how passionate this community is, which is why we wanted to celebrate chess at DreamHack. “Chess is also played over the internet just like gaming and also features the fabled over-the-board competition, exactly like a LAN event. The synergies and similarities are extremely evident and we believe that these 2 communities will love what they have to offer to each other,” said Gautam Virk, COO and Co-founder, NODWIN Gaming.
“The vision of ChessBase India has always been to make chess the most popular sport in the country. Nodwin has been a wonderful partner in this odyssey of popularizing chess. I am very happy that chess is going to be a part of an iconic event like the Dreamhack. Extremely thrilled and so looking forward,” said Sagar Shah, Co-founder and CEO, ChessBase India.
A deathmatch between two of India’s finest chess players — the 16-year-old India no. 2 and world no. 18 Gukesh D and the 19-year-old India no.3 and world no. 19 Arjun Erigaisi is scheduled on November 5. The winner of this match will take home Rs.3 lakh and the runner-up, Rs.2 lakh.
“I am excited and eagerly looking forward to battling it out with Arjun Erigaisi, my fierce rival on the board and close buddy off it. I am looking forward to a great match,” said Gukesh D, Chess Grandmaster.
Arjun Erigaisi, Chess GM added, “I was closely following the first edition of the deathmatch between Anish and Vidit, it was so thrilling and intense. Now I’m super delighted to be playing the second edition of deathmatch, that too against a very strong opponent like Gukesh. Also, as far as I can recall this is going to be my first 1 on 1 OTB that too in my backyard at Hyderabad. So all in all extremely excited.”
That’s not all. There’s more! Comedians on the Board (COTB), one of the most popular events in the world of chess that has always been hosted online by Samay Raina, will, for the first time, go live at DreamHack. Eight of the strongest chess-playing stand-up comedians including Tanmay Bhat, Samay Raina, Biswa Kalyan, Joel D’souza, Anirban Dasgupta, Vaibhav Sethia, Manik Mahna and Sumit Sourav will face off against each other to win the Rs.5 lakh prize and to become the ultimate COTB champion on November 4.
On the workshop front, there is a fun and exciting line up which includes – How to stream chess in an effective way by Samay Raina, how to make chess exciting in terms of teaching and commentating by Sagar Shah and What is needed to pursue a career as an arbiter by one of India’s finest chess arbiters IA Vivek Sohani.
DreamHack will go live from November 4-6 at Hall 1 and 3, Hitex Exhibition Center, Hitec City, Hyderabad
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Asia
New Indian Law Aims to Curb Online Money Gambling Sector, Prohibits Related Advertising

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.
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:
• Addiction and Financial Ruin
• Mental Health and Suicide
• Fraud and Money Laundering
• Threat to National Security
• Closing Legal Loopholes
• 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.
The post New Indian Law Aims to Curb Online Money Gambling Sector, Prohibits Related Advertising appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
Macao Casino Sector Salaries Hit a 10-year High

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.”
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.
The post Macao Casino Sector Salaries Hit a 10-year High appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
ED Arrests Karnataka MLA Veerendra “Puppy” in Illegal Betting Case

The Indian Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into Karnataka Congress MLA K.C. Veerendra, also known as “Puppy,” over alleged involvement in a large-scale money laundering and illegal betting operation. The legislator, arrested in Sikkim on Saturday, August 23, was brought to Bengaluru on Sunday for further questioning in connection with financial transactions tied to casinos in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Georgia.
Veerendra was apprehended in Gangtok, where he had reportedly been pursuing a deal to lease land for a casino venture. After his arrest, he was produced before a special court in Bengaluru, which granted ED custody until August 28. To prevent any incidents during his transfer, strict security was enforced at Kempegowda International Airport, and he was quickly escorted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.
Authorities confirmed that multi-state raids preceded the arrest, covering 31 locations across India, including Bengaluru, Hubballi, Chitradurga, Goa, Jodhpur, Mumbai and Sikkim. Five casinos in Goa—Puppy’s Casino Gold, Ocean Rivers Casino, Puppy’s Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino, and Big Daddy Casino—were also raided as part of the ongoing probe.
According to ED sources, preliminary findings suggest that Veerendra maintained financial links with casinos and shell companies operating in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Georgia. Evidence gathered during the raids points to overseas transactions and the use of foreign entities to launder large sums of money, some of which may have originated from cyber fraud. Officials suspect that these funds were “converted into white money” by being disguised as credit card transactions.
Documents recovered from multiple properties also revealed that Veerendra was in the process of finalising a deal to acquire a casino from Santiago Martin, a businessman widely recognised as the “lottery king” of Tamil Nadu. Martin is already under investigation by the ED in a separate money laundering case and is known for his financial ties to political figures.
Incriminating evidence seized from Veerendra’s residences, including Rs 12 crore in cash and a significant quantity of jewelry, is now being analysed. The ED has also uncovered records suggesting that his brother, K.C. Thippeswamy, managed three Dubai-based entities—Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies and Prime9Technologies—believed to be connected to their gaming and call centre businesses.
The post ED Arrests Karnataka MLA Veerendra “Puppy” in Illegal Betting Case appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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