WALTON based football pools firm Sportech is working on the launch of a cricket pools game with an Indian joint venture partner, Playwin, owned by the Essel group.
According to weekend reports, Sportech intends to adapt the pools format to offer punters the opportunity to bet on such things as the numbers of runs before lunch and the timing of the fall of wickets.
The joint venture is working towards a trial launch in the Himalayan Indian state of Sikkim, which is not renowned for its cricket but offers a more leniently regulated regime in which to test the cricket pools on a population of around 600,000. Essel is one of only three Indian operators to have secured a provisional online gaming licence in Sikkim.
If successful, the venture will be rolled out across India.
Ian Penrose, the Sportech chief executive, is reported to have said of cricket in India: “It’s more than a game, more of a religion.”
