Indian actress Kajal Aggarwal has acquired a 15% stake in the newly launched startup Okie Gaming. The gaming platform, a subsidiary of Okie Ventures known for its range of LED televisions, has also appointed Aggarwal as its brand ambassador.

In an interview with Business Insider, Aggarwal expressed her enthusiasm for Okie Gaming’s immersive gaming experience centered around mythology, folklore, and Indian culture. She highlighted her intention to contribute to the startup’s promotion, marketing, and user attraction efforts. Additionally, Aggarwal aims to advocate for increased female participation in the gaming industry as users, developers, and protagonists.

Aggarwal sees her investment in Okie Gaming as the first of many, expressing confidence in the platform’s potential and the competence of its team.

Okie Gaming: Embracing Regional Games

Okie Gaming, launched recently, features real-money games such as Smart Housie, Fantasy Cricket, Smart Number Quiz, Ludo, Cricket, and Smart Words. The platform plans to introduce the ‘Desi Sports League,’ spotlighting traditional games from each Indian state. This initiative begins with the launch of Dahi Handi from Maharashtra and Vallam Kali (Boat Racing) from Kerala, scheduled for release by December.

Jitin Masand, CEO of OKIE Ventures, shared insights into the platform’s development journey. Inspired by the Atmanirbhar initiative, Okie Gaming aims to promote ‘very Indian’ games, steering clear of the ambiguity between games of skill and chance inherent in real money gaming. Masand emphasized their mission to showcase Indian culture and aesthetics globally.

Focusing on Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets in India, Okie Gaming adopts an offline recharge distribution model, leveraging local kirana and mobile recharge shops. Users can recharge their gaming wallets offline, with a minimum play amount of ₹10. Masand revealed plans to onboard 10,000 retailers across West Bengal and Tamil Nadu to facilitate this offline recharge mechanism.