After spending years reporting on cricket, a journalist in India has decided to use what he learned to launch a new gaming portal. Nikhil Kalro, who worked for ESPNcricinfo, has launched a new digital gaming and sports content company timed to coincide with the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
The web-based daily fantasy sports (DFS) portal Altletics (from Alternative Athletics) is designed to encourage greater involvement from individuals who prefer to participate in DFS for free. The Bengaluru-based company is looking to emphasize leagues with smaller numbers of contest entries (2, 3 or 5), which would have smaller entry fees compared to the larger, more established DFS portals.
Kalro adds that Altletics is focusing on offering an improved and smoother customer experience than the other portals, as well. He asserts that the company is undertaking simple initiatives, such as greater cash bonuses and the smaller entries, in order to increase the odds of winning.
Cricket is the only DFS offering on the site now, but expansion is underway. Mobile apps for both Android and iOS devices are coming and Kalro states that additional sports will most likely be added as the platform grows.
All types of gambling in India continue to be the source of intense debate. Some believe that all forms of the activity should be banned completely, while others believe that only certain types of gambling should be prohibited. Then there’s the debate on what defines different games—poker, by some definitions in the country is a game of skill, but the Supreme Court still believe it’s a game of chance. This, despite empirical data to the contrary.
The battle rages on and there isn’t a clear leader. Most recently, a social activist, Aviansh Mehrotra, put himself in the spotlight when he submitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to the Delhi High Court. He wants the Reserve Bank of India and the Union Ministry of Information Technology “to bring illegal and illicit online gambling/betting/wagering/gaming to an end.”
He adds, “[The gambling websites] seem to encourage the horrible habit of gambling amongst youngsters, and are doing so solely with a view of making large amounts of profits at the cost of these unsuspecting citizens of our great nation.”
