Dangal Games which is a Real Money Games platform run by Xeta Gaming Pvt Ltd has raised their Series A round to the tune of $1 million (Rs. 7.3 Crore). The platform operates Poker Dangal and Rummy Dangal.
JR Laddha Financial Services Pvt Ltd acted as the adviser while the strategic investor name has not been announced.
The company which has been set-up by Manan Sobti, Varun Puri, Karan Gandhi, Shashwat Jain and Varun Mahna plan have elaborate plans for using these funds.
Expansion Plans
They have plans of expanding in the Fantasy Sports market which has seen incredible growth, possibly the highest among all app categories in India. They intend to have an Online Fantasy Sports product ready by IPL2021.
Casual Gaming, Hyper Casual Gaming with or without Real Money Game plugins will also be looked into. Another aspect which is a trend in the market currently is becoming a partner , platform and investor in other up and coming players. This indicates potential moves towards opening up the Dangal Games platform to Third party game developers.
On the product front, Dangal Games seems to be cementing their tagline “Where skill meets fortune” by pushing improvements for their technological infrastructure, While a major focus will also continue towards building the technological infrastructure behind the platform with an emphasis on security and creating customer delight.
Platforms
The product is available on iOS and Android devices along with a website version for desktop users. Poker is available in 3 variants and has been doing well on Android devices while Rummy which is available in Strikes, Pools and Deals formats has traditionally found a significant interest from iOS users unlike other games has garnered a significant user base.
Userbase
The platform has dabbled with print, tv and radio with a sponsorship deal with Jaipur Jewels for Poker Dangal at the Indian Poker League 2020. However most of the product users have been gained through digital user acquisition campaigns. The platform has also explored influencer marketing with focus on creating product ambassadors recommending the products and pushing referral programs. No major changes are expected in this strategy for the foreseeable future. Currently Poker Dangal is among the top 5 poker based games in the country while Rummy Dangal has crossed 5 Lakh users.
User Retention
Dangal Games has similar retention and engagement tactics for their users. Both Rummy and Poker games have joining or sign-up bonus, top-up bonus as well as 100% bonus on referral user deposits. Rummy has been more focused on the bonus system with an elaborate system encouraging users to add as much funds as possible.
Poker Dangal however apart from bonuses has Weekly Tournaments and Dangal 100Max series where the tournament only admits 100 players thus improving the odds of winning for players.
Retention strategies become more and more important as products gain users, since there is a trend of experienced players moving to apps with smaller user base to improve their odds of winning. Dangal 100Max is an attempt at stemming that flow.
Revenue
A major component of revenue is charging a fee on bets or wagers. However this has to be kept at a bare minimum so as to encourage new users who start out with bets of small denominations.
Another emerging revenue source is a nominal entry fee which maintains the quality of players in Dangal 100Max tournaments.
Dangal Games however is a young and new entrant in a growing and highly competitive market. There are already close to 200 players in the market with some over a decade old. Hence most basic user acquisition, retention strategies along with referral programs are already there to implement. However how they differentiate from other players in the market will remain a primary focus. Product and Customer Support is a focus for all, what comes next is where the market seems to be consolidating along with the high market growth rate expected to slow down post Corona along with better and more clear regulation from the Government.
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