Mobile Tombola Games Flying as Players Flock to Apps
Mobile tombola games are thriving as players look to win easy riches via a host of new apps. That's the verdict from The Hindu Business Line which has spoken to several players and heads of the apps at the heart of a new gaming frenzy.
Manav Sethi, CMO of Octro, launched the Tambola app in 2014 and has reported 200% growth over the last four months, pushing the app over 1 million downloads.
Octro's success with players had led to other revenue streams too. Third-party advertisers have been keen to tout their wares on the app. And in-app product sales have also been successful, with players able to buy virtual items for prices between ₹10 and ₹7,500.
Raj Kunda's Viaan Gaming only launched Housie Quiz in February but has quickly picked up new users. Housie lets players win cash playing Bingo or Tambola/Housie for small stakes, although some have raised concern about the size of the jackpots on offer at these apps and the potential for players to spend a lot of money trying to win them.
The Andhra Pradesh-based P&M Family and Friends Tambola group has prize pools up to ₹3.11 lakhs, with the jackpot anywhere between ₹21,000 and ₹35,000.
From this, the apps take a commission with one estimate putting it at around ₹7,000-8,000 per game. One speaking to Business Line said: "We make it very clear to our customers that we will have at least a 10-15 per cent commission as we are putting in a lot of effort. We have to buy the tickets, make posters, scout for people."
Are tombola games legal? Like so many other gambling and gaming types in India, regulation is unclear. While skill-based games like poker are legal, and other companies offering rummy and similar games market their products as games of skill, it's hard to argue games of chance like tombola fit in this category.
Girish Menon, Partner and Head of Media and Entertainment at KPMG, warns those playing for real money on apps to exercise caution.
"Until one is transacting from a well-rated app where the money is transacted in a legal manner or via a known person, it should be avoided", he says.
Online gaming expert Sunil Krishnamurthy fears that it is possible to fix the algorithms of the ticket generators, pointing to one session where a bug led to the same flow of numbers being generated for everyone.
News that mobile tombola is thriving comes hot on the heels of two other related reports out recently.
The 'Business of Fantasy Sports' release said there are now 90 million fantasy sports users in India, while a statement from Bank of America Securities tipped the total number of gamers to reach 486 million by 2022.
