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India has always been a fertile breeding ground for skill-based games. One of the best-known games in this category, Chess, is traced back to 6^th century India. Card games, too, have an Indian connection. Mughals are said to have brought card-playing traditions with them from inner Asia, which later prospered in India. Rummy game, although a late entrant to Indian society, has been popular for several decades now.

Fast forward to the age of online gaming, and millions are busy downloading rummy APK and apps every year in India. Rummy is the most popular card game in India today, with more than 60% market share in the real money games market.

Behind the Skill Boom

Strict legal restrictions have dampened the popularity of chance-based games. Skill-based games, on the other hand, triumphed over legal restrictions through a series of high court judgments. These judgments categorically adjudged that popular online games like rummy, poker, and fantasy sports are skill-based games and cannot be won or lost purely through luck.

In recent years, skill-based games have risen to this advantage and become hugely popular among gamers in India. Skill-based game developers could develop their poker and rummy APKs and operate the apps with fewer legal restrictions. 

Rummy apps, in particular, attracted gamers in their millions. Platforms like RummyCulture set multiple Guinness World Records for most participants in a single online rummy tournament. Dozens of skill-based game apps came up in India and achieved varied levels of success. Many of these apps widened their services by offering different game formats to gamers.

Skill is the New Thrill

Rummy has been a popular card game across different parts of India. This has given rise to local variations, where one variant may be particularly dominant in a region. The challenge for rummy game platforms has been to cater to these sub-categories of rummy enthusiasts. 

Rummy is said to have more than 60 different variants across the world. Popular rummy platforms in India offer three of the most popular variants, namely points, pool and deal rummy. This has helped these platforms cater to the preferences of a large section of Indian rummy players. 

Apart from these three variations, rummy platforms have offered regular tournaments to spice up the competitive spirit. By offering free practice games, these platforms have encouraged new rummy players to hone their skills before taking the real money gaming leap.

Therefore, rummy platforms in India offer sufficient avenues for players to challenge themselves in terms of card-playing skills and expertise. On the revenue side, rummy platforms more than quadrupled in five years from pre-pandemic levels.

Why Rummy Raced Away to New Heights?

A decade ago, in 2015, the online rummy market size in India was estimated to be around $58 million. Before the pandemic, this figure multiplied several times to reach around $335 million in 2019. However, the pandemic ensured that rummy in India didn’t stagnate in the next five years. 

As we look at the $1400 million rummy market by the end of 2024, rummy has proved to be a perfect medium for virtual socialising, mental stimulation and skill-testing. The easy access to online rummy APKs was, however, a key accelerant.

While card-playing traditions in India have been age-old, online card games have made gaming more accessible. Rural India, for instance, saw a 45% increase in smartphone use between 2019 and 2023. In terms of internet use, India stands second in the world, with more than 900 million users. Equipped with smartphones and the internet, Indians had ready access to online game apps, and rummy proved to be the major beneficiary.

Online rummy also meant that you didn’t have to assemble a group of friends or family members to play a rummy game. Rummy apps opened the doors for millions of rummy enthusiasts to bond over a game of rummy and also through in-app chats.

At its core, rummy has always challenged the mental faculty and skills of the players. The edge-of-the-seat action as players discard cards, create sequences, and second-guess opponents keeps every game of rummy intriguing. This mental stimulation forms the bedrock that welcomes and attracts millions of Indians to an online rummy session.

Concluding Thoughts

Real money games like rummy, fantasy sports and poker continue to contribute heavily to the Indian gaming industry. In 2023, for instance, these games accounted for $2.18 billion of the industry’s $2.64 billion revenue. Rummy and poker are estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 19% between 2023 and 2026. 

Given the fast pace of smartphone and internet penetration, these expectations don’t seem improbable. A large section of Indian gamers remains keen to challenge themselves through skill-based games. With the rich card-playing traditions as a legacy, rummy continues to stand out amidst the growth of the Indian gaming industry.

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