Spartan Poker launch India’s first-ever gaming NFTs in their flagship event IOPC
Poker fans have reason to rejoice as India’s premier poker series, the Indian Online Poker Championship(IOPC), is back for its 12th edition this month. Taking place bi-annually, the current edition is bigger and better than ever. The 18-day long series is set to have 116 power-packed events and is currently underway from 20 January to 6 February.
The current scale of the championship is definitely a leap from its comparatively humble beginnings. Starting in 2015 with INR 6.5 lakhs GTD, the championship has gone from strength to strength, featuring 4000 players in the last edition, with the winner of the crown taking home INR 57 lakhs. Such exponential growth and popularity of the event have led to this year’s championship offering players a whopping INR 30 crore GTD (guaranteed prize pool).
With the IOPC being India’s premier poker series, the demographics of participants have always extended far and wide, with the entire professional poker fraternity generally eagerly awaiting and preparing for the event. Additionally, the last couple of years have also seen participation from many professional players from non-metros and younger audiences, a testament to the championship’s increasing popularity.
India Online Poker Championship 2022 to feature the biggest leaderboard in the country
This year's premier online poker tournament will bring together the best from the previous editions, and to add a cherry on top, will include the biggest leaderboard in the country. With gold crowns and sizable paychecks on offer, players will have the opportunity to grab a new title every day.
The 12th edition of the IOPC will be hosted on spartanpoker.com, blitzpoker.com, and pokerhigh.com, with buy-ins from just 500 with tournaments. The Champion of the IOPC Main Event will be rewarded with a 18 K Gold medallion and a diamond-studded crown, along with a cash prize from a pool of INR 3.5 crore.
Speaking about the announcement, Mr. Amin Rozani, Group CEO of Quadrific Media Pvt Ltd said:
“Strategy games that are tactical and skill-based like poker are spearheading the online gaming ecosystem for the past few years and we are excited to announce the 12th edition of our flagship tournament, India Online Poker Championship. The game inspires millions of intellectuals who can apply their skill set and knowledge in the best interest of the game and win high-end prizes”.
Spartan Poker introduces India’s first gaming NFTs at IOPC 2022
In yet another instance of being a forward-thinking brand in touch with changing times and interests, Spartan is the first brand in the Indian online gaming sector that is introducing NFTs as part of their awards to the participants and winners of IOPC '22. NFTs or Non Fungible Tokens are being seen as the next frontiers in the global digital scenario, and by adopting such a futuristic approach to their awards and recognition towards their fraternity, Spartan Poker is clearly positioning itself as an industry thought leader.
Speaking about the industry-first development, Amin Rozani said:
“Indeed, we are proud to pioneer in this field by adopting and bringing a futuristic concept like Web 3.0 and NFTs into our industry. While the technology is in itself at a nascent stage, there are promising aspects of NFTs that we see a strong association with the gaming industry and the way gamers fundamentally consume online games. NFTs can pave the way for the gaming industry to transition from a play-to-win model to a play-to-earn model and can also help evolve the real money gaming industry and its reward structure.”
On the offering aligning with the championship’s current offerings, he added:
“NFTs are a natural extension of the offerings we provide, especially as the world continues to go digital. While NFTs are similar to the mint condition collectibles or antiques that are worth collecting, they also hold a lot of appreciative value, both monetary and intrinsic”
Each big winner shall receive a unique Memorabilia NFT that immortalizes their winning moment & achievement. Spartan Poker is creating these digital assets in the form of NFTs through a partnership with NgageN.com - an exclusive NFT platform by KoineArth India that helps brands & creators engage with fans & community through NFTs.
Dr Praphul Chandra, founder of NgageN said:
“The global gaming industry is at the forefront of the Web3 revolution. Our NgageN platform is designed to allow brands to not only sell or allocate NFTs but to build a community of fans and enthusiasts and to drive engagement. This launch is the first step towards the future of community engagement in gaming and we are excited to partner with Spartan Poker in this pioneering move in the Indian gaming industry"
Vision for the future of Spartan Poker
Despite all the major strides already being taken, Spartan Poker is far from done. Speaking on how Spartan Poker is changing the online gaming industry and the vision for the future, Amin Rozani said:
“The Spartan Group has been pioneering the expansion of poker in India. We see gaming as an immersive experience and our goal is to provide a complete ecosystem for those who enjoy real-money games. Our recent brand campaign - #LiveInEveryMove, captures this sentiment and aims to take it to a broader audience.”
With the launch of their multi-gaming vertical AIO Games seeing significant traction, that sentiment and the vision of providing a distinctive, rewarding, and complete gaming experience for casual and professional gamers alike certainly seems to be on track.
About Quadnet Poker Network:
Quadnet Poker Network (www.quadnet.co) is an initiative by Quadrific Media Private Limited (QMPL). QMPL is an India-centric one-stop gaming destination that offers a smooth, multi-gaming experience including poker, rummy, and other gaming formats. Founded in 2014 by Amin Rozani, Peter Abraham, and Sameer Rattonsey, Quadrific Media Private Limited started with poker as its forte. They created well-known IPs in both the live (India Poker Championship) and online poker space to empower players from across the country to play and compete with each other at the highest levels. The group aims to encourage mind sports as a profitable and consumer-friendly entertainment avenue where young aspirants can even look at taking gaming up as a rewarding career.