Gaming
National Poker Series India 2025 unveils Rs 100 crore prize pool
Mumbai: The National Poker Series India (NPS) in its fifth edition in March 2025, promises to elevate India’s poker landscape to newer heights. Exclusively hosted on PokerBaazi, NPS 2025 boasts an unprecedented ₹100 crore prize pool, positioning it as the biggest and most prestigious poker event in the country’s history.
Baazi Games founder & CEO Navkiran Singh commented, “The National Poker Series India is a platform that transcends mere competition; it is a movement that recognizes poker as a serious skill-based mind sport in India. Each edition is designed to emphasize strategy, precision, and mental endurance, enabling players to refine their abilities while promoting the sport across the nation. We are proud to host the National Poker Series India for its fifth edition with a ₹100 crore prize pool—the biggest our country has seen yet. We aim to deliver an unparalleled experience at PokerBaazi, to empower the talent of poker players across India.”
Building on the overwhelming success of the 2024 edition, which drew over 2.25 lakh entries and offered a prize pool of ₹62.5 crore and 450 medals, NPS 2025 is set to raise the bar even higher. Players can anticipate an event of extraordinary scale in 2025, making the fifth edition the most competitive and rewarding yet.
Since its inception, the National Poker Series India has attracted over 5.33 lakh entries, hosted 404 high-stakes tournaments, and awarded 1,221 players with medals, solidifying its position as India’s premier platform for competitive poker. In the 2024 edition, Deepak Singh from Delhi emerged as the overall champion with three gold, one silver, and one bronze medals. The competition was fierce, with Abhishek Sonu from Bihar and Samay Modi from Maharashtra also securing podium finishes. Maharashtra led the medal tally with over 100 medals, closely followed by Delhi with 83, illustrating the regional pride and intense rivalry that NPS has come to symbolize.
The schedule of the tournament series that surpasses the rewards of some of the country’s largest sports leagues is expected to follow soon.
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
