Games24x7

Last updated

Games24x7
Company type Private
IndustryOnline gaming, Technology
Founded2006
FounderBhavin Pandya
Trivikraman Thampy
Headquarters
Mumbai
,
India
Area served
India
Parent Play Games24x7
Website Official website

Games24x7 is an Indian online gaming company [1] [2] founded in 2006, and headquartered in Mumbai, India. [3] The company is known for its games like RummyCircle and My11Circle. [4] [5] [6] It has offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Miami. [7] As of 2022, the company was valued at $2.5 billion following a $75 million fundraising round. [8] [9] It is backed by investors such as Tiger Global Management, The Raine Group, and Malabar Investment Advisors. [9] The company also operates a venture arm, Games24x7 Ventures, [10] and a philanthropic wing, Games24x7 Foundation. [11]

Contents

History

Games24x7 was founded by Bhavin Pandya [12] [13] and Trivikraman Thampy, [14] who met while studying economics at New York University (NYU) and shared a passion for online games. [15] In 2006, Pandya returned to India and started Games24x7 with Thampy. They began with rummy, chess, and a bunch of other games online, which quickly became popular and were offered for free. [9] [16] The company partnered with HDFC to establish a payment gateway for online real-money gaming. They also advocated for the industry's legitimacy to Google and Facebook, enabling the sector to advertise on these platforms. [9] [17] In 2009, the company launched RummyCircle, an online real money gaming platform for playing the traditional Indian card game rummy. It quickly gained popularity within the gaming community and attracted a considerable user base. Games24x7 started investing in free-to-play games. It launched Ultimate Teen Patti and Ultimate Rummy. [8] In December 2015, Ultimate Teen Patti became the highest-grossing Teen Patti app on the Google Play store. [9] In 2019, the founders rolled out My11Circle, a fantasy sports vertical, and roped in Sourav Ganguly as the brand ambassador. [9] The platform gained traction and became one of the top fantasy cricket brands, especially during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2021. It later expanded to fantasy football, and Kabaddi on My11Circle. [18]

In 2022, the company became a unicorn after raising $75 million, reaching a valuation of $2.5 billion. Tiger Global was the first institutional investor for Games24x7 in 2011. [19]

TechXpedite

In 2023, Games24x7 launched GameTech Accelerate, [20] later rebranded as TechXpedite, a 60-day accelerator programme targeting early-stage startups in the domains of gaming, artificial intelligence, and inclusive technology. In its 2024–25 edition, the programme selected 17 startups from over 330 applications, providing mentorship, resources, and up to US$500,000 in technology credits from more than 30 partner companies. It concluded with a pitch event in March 2025. [21] [22] TechXpedite has been associated with support from state-level stakeholders such as the governments of Karnataka, Telangana, and Maharashtra, along with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). [23]

Collaborations and sponsorships

My11Circle

In 2021, My11Circle named Indian international cricketer and right-arm bowler Mohammed Siraj its brand ambassador. Among My11Circle's other brand ambassadors were Saurav Ganguly, Ajinkya Rahane, VVS Laxman, and Ranveer Singh. [24] In March 2022, Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad became new brand ambassadors. My11Circle also secured the title sponsorship for both Lucknow Super Giants, an IPL team, and the Women's T20 Challenge, granted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in May 2022. [15] In 2024, My11Circle was appointed as the new official Fantasy Sports Partner for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. [25] [26] In March, Games24x7 onboarded Rinku Singh and Yashasvi Jaiswal as new brand ambassadors for My11Circle. [27]

In April 2025, the company launched the 'Circle Mein Aaja' campaign during the Tata IPL, featuring brand ambassadors Sourav Ganguly, Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Mohammed Siraj. The campaign included a remake of a 1990s track composed by Anu Malik to encourage fan participation. [28]

RummyCircle

In 2022, Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan became the brand ambassador for RummyCircle. In 2024, the company launched the Khelo Befikar, Jeeto RummyCircle Par campaign, featuring Hrithik. [4]

In 2025, RummyCircle launched the National Rummy Series, a nationwide rummy tournament, supported by an advertising campaign featuring Sourav Ganguly. The five-part finale streamed exclusively on JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. [29]

Associations

In 2017, Games24x7 and other gaming companies collaborated to establish E-Gaming Federation (formally The Online Rummy Federation), [30] a body that self-regulates the online rummy industry. [31] [32] [33]

Games24x7 is a part of various industry associations, including FICCI's gaming committee, Assocham, IAMAI, and the Bombay Chamber of Commerce. [34] [35]

Corporate Social Responsibility

In 2022, Nobel peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi launched Bal Mitra Mandal (BMM) in Pune, supported by Games24x7, to create a slum community and empower children and their communities to secure their rights, protect against child labor and abuse, and raise awareness on education, water, sanitation, and hygiene. [36] [37]

Games24x7, in collaboration with the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF), recently published a report highlighting a concerning rise in child trafficking cases in Delhi since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The report shows a substantial 68% increase in trafficked children in Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh witnessed an alarming nearly six-fold rise. The national capital has emerged as a major hub for trafficked children, with more than one-fourth of rescued children originating from Delhi. The sectors with the highest prevalence of child labor include hotels and dhabas (15.6%), family-owned automobile or transport units (13%), and garments (11.18%). [38]

In December 2023, the company formed a partnership with the Karnataka Government to launch an online gaming accelerator initiative called GameTech Accelerate. [39]

Games24x7 Foundation, the not-for-profit arm of Games24x7, was established in 2022. In January 2024, the foundation launched the Wheels of Change initiative on National Girl Child Day. As part of this initiative, the foundation distributed 1,000 bicycles in the Dharashiv district, specifically in Bhoom, Washim, and Paranda to help address transportation challenges for girl students accessing higher education in remote areas of Maharashtra. [11] In April 2024, the foundation announced its collaboration with NGOs and sports academies in six Indian cities to provide youth and athletes from underserved backgrounds the opportunity to attend a TATA IPL T20 match. [40]

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ↑ S, Mohamed Imranullah (10 March 2023). "Mumbai-based online gaming firm moves HC against CB-CID notice". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  2. ↑ Yadav, Pooja (8 January 2024). "SC Seeks Centre's Reply On Pleas Of Games24x7, Head Digital Works On GST Notice". Inc42 Media. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  3. ↑ Sil, Debarghya (7 November 2022). "Games24x7 Slips Into The Red, Posts Loss Of INR 230 Cr In FY22 As Revenue Plunges". Inc42 Media. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Storyboard18 - How Games24x7 Is Levelling Up To Leverage The Gaming Boom In India". Forbes India. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  5. ↑ Banerjee, Prasid (1 December 2020). "Poker, rummy platforms turn to technology to tackle irresponsible gaming". mint. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Tamil Nadu gambling law: Online rummy, poker firms block users from playing real money games". Moneycontrol. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Laghate, Gaurav (21 April 2021). "Games24x7 eyes US expansion with casual games". The Economic Times. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  8. 1 2 "India's Gaming Sector Is Spawning Unicorns. But The Future Is Uncertain". Forbes India. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Games 24x7: How Bhavin Pandya And Trivikraman Thampy Turned Wild Cards Into A Winning Hand". Forbes India. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  10. ↑ Maloo, Malvika (1 November 2022). "Games24x7 launches corporate investment arm". Livemint.
  11. 1 2 "Games24x7 Foundation launches 'Wheels of Change' initiative; aims to empower school girls". Financialexpress. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  12. ↑ "In India you don't have casual payer, you have casual player: Games24x7 CEO". Business Standard.
  13. ↑ "Games24x7's Bhavin Pandya hopes 2024 will be a promising year for industry".
  14. ↑ Mathur, Nandita (25 April 2019). "'We are a technology platform, gaming is just incidental': Pandya". mint. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  15. 1 2 Mittal, Apoorva (27 April 2022). "Gaming sector needs a regulatory structure, says Games24x7 CEO Bhavin Pandya". The Economic Times. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  16. ↑ Gupta, Soumya (29 March 2017). "Play Games24x7 Sees the Mobile Gaming Segment Grow 10x in Next 5 Years". Businessworld. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Saha, Soumyajit (10 July 2023). "Gamespotting: MeitY receives three applications for forming SROs". The Economic Times. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "RPSG's Lucknow IPL Team ropes My11Circle as title sponsor". www.fortuneindia.com. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  19. ↑ Singh, Manish (30 March 2022). "Games24x7 valued at $2.5 billion in new funding". TechCrunch. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  20. ↑ "Games24x7 picks 15 start-ups for mentorship project". The Hindu Business Line. 1 February 2024.
  21. ↑ "Games24x7 announces final list of its startup accelerator programme". Business Standard . 10 January 2025.
  22. ↑ "Games24x7 looks to back AI and tech startups beyond gaming sector". Moneycontrol . 6 November 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  23. ↑ "TechXpedite accelerator unveils 17 start-ups". The Hindu Business Line. 10 January 2025.
  24. ↑ Khosla, Varuni (28 January 2022). "Games24X7 to push Rummy in north India to augment revenue". mint. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  25. ↑ "My11Circle outbids Dream11, becomes official fantasy sports partner of IPL". www.business-standard.com.
  26. ↑ Farooqui, Javed (23 February 2024). "BCCI sells four IPL sponsorship slots for Rs 1,485 crore". The Economic Times. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  27. ↑ "Games24x7 welcomes Rinku Singh and Yashasvi Jaiswal to My11Circle family - ET BrandEquity". ETBrandEquity.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  28. ↑ "My11Circle's new campaign brings fans closer to the IPL action". ET BrandEquity . 18 April 2025.
  29. ↑ "Sourav Ganguly headlines campaign for RummyCircle's National Rummy Series". Exchange4Media. 10 June 2025.
  30. ↑ Yadav, Pooja (16 December 2023). "SC Refuses Interim Relief To Games 24x7 & Head Digital Works On Tax Notices". Inc42 Media. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  31. ↑ "Govt notifies rules for online gaming, to appoint multiple SROs". The Economic Times. 7 April 2023. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  32. ↑ "Online gaming lobby groups sign voluntary code of ethics". The Indian Express. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  33. ↑ Tripathi, Ashish. "28% GST on online gaming companies: SC transfers to itself all pleas pending in 9 HCs". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  34. ↑ Mengle, Gautam S. (8 December 2017). "Online rummy operators join hands self- regulate". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  35. ↑ Banerjee, Prasid (27 September 2021). "Kerala High Court strikes down proposed government ban on online rummy". mint. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  36. ↑ "63 street children learn to read & write in 2-hour sessions at nine junctions". The Times of India. 18 May 2023. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  37. ↑ "Kailash Satyarthi launches initiative to create a safe, child-friendly slum community in Pune". The Indian Express. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  38. ↑ "Child trafficking: UP, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh among top three states; Delhi sees a sharp rise in cases". CNBCTV18. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  39. ↑ "Games24x7 Partners Karnataka Govt To Launch Accelerator For Indian Gaming Startups". Inc42 Media. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  40. ↑ "Games24x7 Foundation includes cricketing experiences for children to its 'Wheels of Change' project". Financialexpress. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  41. ↑ "Award winners - 2023". www.entrepreneurindia.com. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  42. ↑ "LinkedIn's 2023 Top Companies List: Dream11, Games24x7 and 15 more debut as best workplaces". CNBCTV18. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  43. ↑ "Finalists of 13th Aegis Graham Bell Awards, supported MeiTY, NITI Aayog". Aegis Graham Bell Awards. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
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