image-natural8 sprearheads donations for india's covid fight

Natural8 recently initiated a fundraiser aiming to support COVID-19 relief efforts in India, as the country continues to grapple with the pandemic. The online poker room spearheaded the “Unite to Fight COVID-19 in India campaign, which saw Natural8 match donations dollar for dollar.

Online poker room doubles COVID-19 donations

A second wave of COVID-19 outbreak in India saw its residents scrambling for help as the daily reported cases in the country spike to more than 300,000 infections daily, overwhelming the healthcare system and leading to a shortage in critical healthcare resources including hospital beds, oxygen cylinders and medicines. The number of cases has been declining recently, but the daily death toll remained above 3,000—even as nearly 12 crore doses are scheduled to be available in June.

Despite this, there is no let up in fundraising efforts for India—not just to help the country, but also to raise awareness on the effect the global COVID-19 pandemic has around the world. For its part, Natural8 has pledged to match every dollar that’s contributed, and all contributions will go to community-run fund CryptoRelief with a goal of providing aid in the form of medicine, oxygen and other essential items.

COVID-19 brings more players online

The unprecedented lockdown brought by the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in more consumers staying indoors and turning to technology to work, keep up with the latest news, check on their family and friends, and pass time by playing SevenJackpots online roulette or other popular casual Indian entertainment games like Andar Bahar, Teen Patti and Rummy being played on sites like PureWin.com.

In fact, Andar Bahar, Teen Patti and Rummy have been described as the “golden cash cow” of India’s growing mobile-first gaming market, according to an ENV Media research. It noted,

“Such traditional card games have heavily influenced the local mobile gaming industry and social networks, with their demand and acceptance not likely to decrease. There are certain Western games with an Indian touch which are quite well accepted. But Indians love desi games first and foremost. These are “family” games that can be played and enjoyed with people of all age groups and players think little whether to engage in paid sessions if they like the game.”

Online gaming industry extends support

Natural8 is the latest gaming firm to organize a fundraiser to help support COVID-19 relief efforts. Mobile Premier League, an esports and skill gaming platform, has teamed up with online donation platform Give India for the “Gamers for India” fundraiser, a livestream with popular gamers in attendance.

South Korea-based PUBG and PUBG mobile game publisher Krafton Inc. also donated INR 1.5 crore to the PM Cares Fund. In a blog post, CEO Changhan Kim said, “India is navigating a challenging time with the current wave of covid-19. We remain committed to supporting the efforts of the government in battling this unprecedented crisis. We hope our contribution to the PM CARES Fund will help the aid efforts currently operational on the ground.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a transformation to every industry globally and the esports industry is no different. The lockdown fuelled this already-burgeoning industry,” said Abhishek Madhavan, SVP, Growth and Marketing at Mobile Premier League.