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A23-parent Head Digital Works acquires Adda52 for Rs 491 Cr

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m ago
A23-parent Head Digital Works acquires Adda52 for Rs 491 Cr
Medial

A23-parent Head Digital Works acquires Adda52 for Rs 491 Cr Online gaming company Head Digital Works (HDW), the parent company of gaming firm A23, has acquired Deltatech Gaming, the operator of online poker platform Adda52. HDW announced in a press release that the acquisition aims to strengthen its online poker portfolio. The transaction will take place in two phases for a total consideration of Rs 491 crore ($57.5 million). Initially, Head Digital Works will acquire a 51% stake in Deltatech Gaming following the merger. Post-merger, DeltaCorp Limited will retain a 5.7% stake in Head Digital Works. Through this acquisition, HDW aims to leverage Adda52’s expertise and technological capabilities to accelerate its growth in the online gaming market. Launched in 2011, Adda52 offers a poker experience with various game formats, tournaments, and cash games, attracting both casual and professional poker players across India. According to HDW, the acquisition will enhance the gaming experience, drive technological advancements, and cater to evolving user preferences. The company plans to expand its poker business, explore new growth avenues, and build a comprehensive and diversified skill-gaming platform for its customers. A23 claims to have over 75 million registered users across India and operates five games - rummy, fantasy, poker, carrom, and pool. A23’s net revenue stood at Rs 841 crore in FY24, compared to Rs 839 crore in FY23. Despite the flat revenue, controlled expenditures and increased other income helped A23 achieve a 24% rise in net profits to Rs 72 crore in FY24. In November last year, A23 also completed its first-ever employee stock options (ESOP) buyback program worth $3 million.

A23 reports Rs 841 Cr revenue and Rs 72 Cr profit in FY24

EntrackrEntrackr · 7m ago
A23 reports Rs 841 Cr revenue and Rs 72 Cr profit in FY24
Medial

Online rummy platform A23 reported flat revenue growth for the fiscal year ending March 2024. However, the company achieved a 24% increase in profits, driven by controlled expenses and an increase in non-operating income during the same period. A23’s net revenue was recorded at Rs 841 crore in FY24 from Rs 839 crore in FY23, its consolidated annual financial statements sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) show. Notably, the firm's gross revenue grew by 31% to Rs 1,378 crore in FY24, up from Rs 1,051 crore in FY23. Of this, Rs 537 crore was paid out to players, resulting in a net revenue of Rs 841 crore for FY24. The platform fee, or commission, charged as a percentage of the buy-in fees from users, remained the sole revenue source for A23 during FY24. Additionally, the platform earned Rs 37 crore, primarily from interest on deposits and current investments, bringing its total revenue to Rs 878 crore in FY24. The company claims to have over 5 crore players on its platform and operates five games - rummy, fantasy, poker, carrom, and pool. A23 has not disclosed its overheads much and booked Rs 515 crore, which is 68% of the overall cost under the miscellaneous head. This might include all the major costs including advertising, servers, and hosting. A23’s employee benefits grew 41% to Rs 138 crore in FY24 from Rs 98 crore in FY23. Its legal, safety and security, printing, traveling, and other overheads pushed the total expenditure to Rs 761 crore in FY24. Despite the flat scale, the controlled expenditure and increase in other income helped A23 to post a 24% increase in its net profits to Rs 72 crore in FY24, compared to Rs 58 crore in FY23. Its ROCE and EBITDA margin improved to 11.5% and 15.26%, respectively while the expense-per-revenue ratio stood at Rs 0.90. At the end of FY24, A23’s total current assets were recorded at Rs 613 crore with cash and bank balances of Rs 534 crore.

A23 parent lays off 500 employees following RMG ban: Report

EntrackrEntrackr · 14d ago
A23 parent lays off 500 employees following RMG ban: Report
Medial

Head Digital Works, the parent company of A23 Rummy, A23 Poker, and Cricket.com, has laid off approximately 500 employees, nearly two-thirds of its workforce. The move comes after India enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which imposes a blanket ban on real-money online gaming. Last week, A23 also filed a petition before the Karnataka High Court challenging the newly enacted law. The next hearing is scheduled for September 8 at 2:30 PM. “At Head Digital Works, our people have been central to our growth and it was with careful consideration that we took the decision to let go of a significant part of our workforce. We will ensure that this transition is handled with responsibility, providing meaningful severance and support to those impacted, and we remain grateful for their contributions. While recent regulatory changes necessitated this step, we are confident that a balanced framework will evolve over time, and we remain committed to building a resilient future and exploring new opportunities for the company," said Siddharth Sharma, CEO, Head Digital Works. The decision was announced in a company-wide town hall, and the firm now has about 200 employees focused on key teams. Meanwhile, Head Digital Works is evaluating new business opportunities beyond gaming to build a sustainable future. Head Digital Works further highlighted the broader impact on the sector, warning of job losses affecting over 200,000 people and threats to foreign and domestic investments in India’s booming Rs 23,440 crore online skill gaming industry. Following the ban, more layoffs are expected across real-money gaming platforms. Recently, Bengaluru-based unicorn MPL was in the news for cutting about 60% of its staff in India, roughly 300 employees.

Nazara terminates deal with I3 Interactive to buy stake in Moonshine

EntrackrEntrackr · 17d ago
Nazara terminates deal with I3 Interactive to buy stake in Moonshine
Medial

Nazara terminates deal with I3 Interactive to buy stake in Moonshine Nazara Technologies Limited has called off its plan to acquire a minority stake in Moonshine Technology Private Limited, the parent company of online poker platform PokerBaazi, following the enactment of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025. In a stock exchange filing, Nazara said that it issued a termination notice to I3 Interactive on August 31, 2025. The company had earlier agreed to purchase 38,073 equity shares, representing 0.96% of Moonshine’s equity from I3 Interactive Inc. for about Rs 15.9 crore. However, with the new law prohibiting real-money online gaming, including poker, Nazara said the deal has triggered a “material adverse effect” under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA). Following the introduction of the gaming bill, Nazara promptly suspended its real money gaming operations. Nazara had announced the acquisition of a 46.07% stake in Moonshine in September last year. Besides I3 Interactive Inc, Nazara had bought the shares from a number of sellers, which included PSM Group Limited, Bellerive Capital (BCP) 6 Limited, Shells and Shores Consultancy & Holdings LLP, and others. Although the listed gaming company has consistently clarified that it neither consolidates Moonshine’s financials nor has any revenue exposure to real-money gaming, the ban would effectively render its investment in PokerBaazi worthless. While leading gaming firms such as Dream11, Gameskraft, and MPL have opted not to contest the new law, the parent company of A23, Head Digital Works, has filed a constitutional petition in the Karnataka High Court to challenge it, prompting the court to issue notice to the central government.

OneVerse acquires Spartan Poker for undisclosed amount

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
OneVerse acquires Spartan Poker for undisclosed amount
Medial

MetaVerse and gaming tech company OneVerse has acquired online poker platform, Spartan Poker, for an undisclosed amount. This is a continuation of OneVerse’s M&A strategy looking to consolidate the gaming market, OneVerse said in a press release. It added that the recent macroeconomic headwinds have unlocked momentum for M&A opportunities, and the company is looking to close a few additional acquisitions in the next three months for $120 million. Spartan Poker’s founder and CEO Amin Rozani said, “…This acquisition opens up new horizons for creativity and technological advancements, and we look forward to creating extraordinary customer gaming experiences together.” The development comes six months after Spartan Poker fired 40% of its workforce or 125 employees due to the government’s 28% GST on real-money gaming companies. With over 2 million registered users, Spartan is one of the largest online platforms for poker in India. It has also not raised venture capital to date. Spartan claims that it clocked a revenue of Rs 200 crore but its consolidated financial statements with the RoC showed that it made Rs 95 crore in FY23 while its losses stood at Rs 6.21 crore in the same period. The consolidation appears to be driven by the 28% GST rule introduced by the Indian government effective from October last year. Since then, a clutch of startups including Fantok, One World Nation (OWN), and Quizy shut their operations while MPL, and Hike Rush Gaming have fired more than 400 employees, cumulatively. Dream11, the largest player in the space, was also impacted heavily by the GST crackdown. The firm had shut down its investment arm Dream Capital and projected an 80% fall in its profits in the ongoing fiscal.

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