Having only launched in September, Poker Raj has a new ambassador. The India-facing online poker portal has reportedly tapped actress Anita Hassanandani to help the site promote its efforts and attract more users.
Hassanandani is a popular actress who has appeared in a number of TV series, as well as in movies in the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi languages. She is also a poker player in her own right and participated in the first season of the Match Indian Poker League (MIPL), which was organized by Poker Raj’s promoter, Viaan Industries, and the International Federation of Match Poker.
Hassanandani said of her new position, “I have always expressed my love for the sport of poker and now I am even more excited to announce my partnership with Poker Raj. Poker is evolving in India and I am happy to be a part of this growth story.”
The chairman and managing director for Viaan Industries, Raj Kundra, added, “Anita is a positive vibrant person and quite a trooper! She has been a lucky charm at all our poker events and plays the sport well. We welcome her on as the Brand Ambassador of Poker Raj and we now have a queen of poker.”
Poker in India faces a few obstacles, given that there isn’t a single consensus across the various regions regarding whether or not the activity is a game of chance or a game of skill. Nonetheless, several high-profile individuals have publicly come forward to endorse online poker, including Chris Gayle, Minissha Lamba, Sunny Leone, Vijender Singh, Arjun Rampal and Ranvijay Singh.
Poker Raj officially launched on September 16. It was founded by Kundra and his wife, Shilpa Shetty, banking on the success of the MIPL. At the time, Kundra asserted, “We have been focusing on all variants of real money gaming in India that fall under the game of skill. We launched India’s first official poker league. We’ve also curated a new team of passionate poker lovers and Poker Raj is something we’ve been developing over the years and are now finally ready to launch one of the best poker experiences India has ever seen. We have completed the loop of poker offerings and will now focus on taking a sizeable market share of this booming industry with one focus in mind – the player!”
