Vikrant Bhargava
Vikrant Bhargava | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 December 1972 Jaipur, India |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Indian Institute of Management Calcutta |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder of PartyGaming, company responsible for PartyPoker |
| Spouse | Married |
| Children | 3 |
Vikrant Bhargava (विक्रान्त भार्गव; born 14 December 1972)[1] is an Indian-born British businessman, and the co-founder and former marketing director of online casino operator PartyGaming.
Early life and education
[edit]Bhargava was born on 14 December 1972 in Jaipur, India,[1] and raised in Rajasthan.[2]
He holds a bachelor's degree in Technology in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi, where he met his future business partner Anurag Dikshit.[3] He also studied at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.[1][3]
Career
[edit]Prior to joining PartyGaming, Bhargava was a credit officer at Bank of America, responsible for managing credit exposure and revenue for corporate clients, and a business analyst in the business development division of British Gas.[4][5]
Bhargava joined PartyGaming (formerly iGlobalMedia) as marketing director in early 2000.[2] In July 2001, he oversaw the marketing for the launch of PartyPoker, as well as for Partygaming when it went public in 2005,[1] at the time the London Stock Exchange's largest IPO of an internet company, valued at over $8.5 billion.[6]
In 2005, he owned 15% of PartyGaming, estimated at £450 million.[1]
In May 2006, Bhargava announced he would leave the company's board of directors at the end of the year.[7] He also stepped down from his executive role in the company. Quoted in eGaming Review, John Shepherd, director of PartyGaming corporate communications, credited Bhargava with transforming PartyGaming into a multi-billion pound company.[8] When he left PartyGaming, Bhargava's fortune was estimated to be £850 million.[9] ($1.6 billion at that time)
Bhargava later became the head of a private investment company, Veddis Ventures, registered in Gibraltar.[10] According to the Electoral Commission, Bhargava has donated around £200,000 to the Conservative Party via two of his companies, Stellite Finance and Aria Properties.[10]
Personal life
[edit]He married his wife in 2005, and they have two children.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Pratley, Nils (19 March 2005). "The poker face". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ a b Gumbel, Peter (20 November 2005). "How the U.S. Is Getting Beat in Online Gambling". TIME.com. Archived from the original on 25 November 2005. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ a b Roy, Amit (20 March 2005). "Poker princes eye pot of gold - IIT alumni lord over company valued at $6 billion". The Telegraph of India. Archived from the original on 28 March 2005. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ "Vikrant Bhargava". Asian in Tech. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Armitstead, Louise (24 July 2024). "Gaming founder hedges his bets". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "How investment firms shield the ultrawealthy from the IRS". International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ PartyGaming's Billionaire Dikshit Quits Board
- ^ "PartyGaming Executive Added as World Poker Congress Keynoter" (Press release).
- ^ "Gibraltar Rich list: Top 5 Millionaires and their net worth in 2019". 15 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Donor Watch". Private Eye (1445): 11. 2 June 2017.