Poker in India is growing at a rapid pace and driving this growth are some very hardworking and passionate people who are constantly innovating and making bold moves to take the game to the next level. One such Individual working hard to uplift the standard of the game in the country by giving players the best of the tournament as well as cash game promotions is Adda52 CEO Naveen Goyal, a visionary and a veteran in gaming industry with about two decades of experience.
Holding an Engineering Degree from IIT, Kanpur and an MBA from Indian School of Business, Mr. Goyal has been instrumental in running several successful online ventures. He joined as Adda52 CEO last year and his journey has been wonderful so far with Adda52 scaling new heights under his able leadership. Driven by player-centric approach, he has taken up some game-changing moves. Right from a New TDS Policy to a flagship series like Adda52 Online Poker Series (AOPS), he has taken-up several initiatives to enhance players’ experience and promote poker in the country. His approach towards the game has been appreciated by players as well as industry insiders.
Much has been written about the latest edition of the flagship Adda52 Online Poker Series (AOPS) that shattered all previous records, attracting close to 16K entries and distributing a jaw-dropping INR 6.75 Crore in prizepools across its 41 tournaments. The marquee series came to an end on 15th March with a grand 2 Crore GTD Main Event Finale, which crowned a champion in the well-known pro Faiz Alam aka ‘TheInternetKid’, who walked away with a mouth-watering INR 50 Lac for his win and emerged as the biggest winner of the AOPS running from 6th to 15th March 2020.
We caught-up with Mr. Goyal to talk about the success of the recent AOPS and here are the excerpts:
OPN: Hi Mr. Goyal, welcome and thanks for speaking to us! On behalf of OPN (Online Poker News), a big congratulation to you and your team on the grand success of the Adda52 Online Poker Series (AOPS)! What is your take on a flagship series like the AOPS?
Naveen: Honestly, I was not sure how successful it will be. We just wanted to give players a grand series to have fun and earn big. But it was awesome and people loved it. To celebrate the success of our first AOPS edition, we even hosted a special 21 Lac Freeroll event for poker players who participated in the AOPS Main Event.
OPN: As a CEO, you have been associated with Adda52 for over 11 months. How has been the journey?
Naveen: The journey has been great and enriching so far. It’s a bunch of amazing talented people here, and most importantly passionate about Adda52. I love to be associated with the company as the energy and passion for Adda52 is infectious!
OPN: Coming back to the AOPS, close to 16000 entries and over INR 6.75 Crore in total prizepool given away during the entire series. You and your team must be very proud about the same?
Naveen: Sure, I am very happy! We were we not very certain though, I guess, players love us and our lucrative promotions. And this is in line with our vision for the next year – be the most player-centric organization in the online gaming space.
OPN: What next? Is Adda52 planning anything bigger for players in the next financial year?
Naveen: Innovative games variances to promote poker as an exciting mind sport. We just launched ‘instant redeem’, tighter game play monitoring and compliance, and the most important one is player-centric approach.
OPN: Poker in India has been growing at a rapid pace. What does the future hold for the game?
Naveen: Future is with those who innovate continuously, and are player-centric.
OPN: Finally, any message for the AOPS winners, participants and adda52.com users?
Naveen: Stay tuned. Much more is coming every month and with exponentially growing guarantees. Good luck at the felts!
Thank you Mr. Goyal for your valuable time and good luck for the future endeavors!
