Child wins poker fortune

Eight year old boy takes legal action in India against unnamed poker site to claim winnings after becoming a millionaire using his uncle's online account

It seems that the term "young gun" has been redefined, if the rumours abounding on the internet are to be believed. Apparently Aashish Nanak from Chandigarh, India, won over 22 million rupees in an online poker tournament – despite being only eight years old. The full facts on the story are yet to be made clear, but it seems that this rags to riches story may not have a happy ending, as the child is unable to claim his winnings due to him being underage.

Aashish won the staggering amount, roughly $500,000, on a yet to be named online poker site, which is now refusing to pay out the winnings because he is not of the legal age to gamble. His family sought advice from a legal team and is currently having their case heard in a New Dehli court. Lawyers for the family feel that the child should be compensated because there are no terms or conditions that would restrict Aashish from playing poker.

Regarded by some as a computer genius, Aashish was introduced to computers at the age of three, when his mother used to sit him in front of a computer playing cartoons to keep him occupied while she cleaned at a local hotel. He began building his own Web sites at four, and by six was interested in online poker. His uncle created an online account for him to use, and he began clocking up small amounts in winnings before hitting the jackpot.

There is a further twist to this strange tale, as it transpires that the poker site may have known the true age of the youngster when he was gambling online. Sources claim that staff at the poker website nicknamed him 'littlepokerwizzard' and were well aware of his age. The family further claim that at no time was it made clear that little Aashish could not play any of the games and there were no terms and conditions to that effect.

There is little surprise that the Nanak family is trying their hand in court. The average wage in India is less than $200 a year, so it takes little imagination to realise that a payout of this magnitude would have a huge positive impact on the child and his family.

If this story is indeed true, its implications for the online gambling industry could be massive, as it will add more fuel to the fire on the global debate about the legalization and restrictions to online gaming.