Flutter Entertainment has appointed Seema Padman as GM of Flutter Entertainment India, placing her in charge of its Hyderabad Global Capability Centre following the group’s withdrawal from India’s real-money gaming market.
Padman joined Flutter Entertainment India as People Leader in April 2024. She helped develop the Hyderabad operation and also led the people function for Flutter Entertainment’s international hubs in Cluj, Porto and Sofia.
In her new position, Padman will oversee the expansion of capabilities and delivery from Hyderabad for Flutter Entertainment’s international brands.
The appointment reflects the distinction between Flutter Entertainment’s consumer-facing gaming operations in India and its continuing use of the country as a technology and shared-services base.
The Hyderabad centre supports businesses outside India through data engineering, data science, HR technology, analytics, finance, customer operations and other centralised functions.
Flutter Entertainment opened its current 80,000-square-foot Hyderabad facility in August 2024 following a $3.5m investment. It initially housed more than 700 employees and passed 1,000 employees by April 2025, when the operator reported that local hiring had increased by 60% over the preceding year.
Its continued expansion comes after a major change to India’s gaming market. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 prohibited online games involving monetary stakes, regardless of whether they were based on skill, chance or a combination of both.
Flutter Entertainment’s Junglee Games subsidiary stopped offering Howzat, Junglee Rummy, Junglee Poker, PokerStars India and Junglee Ludo on August 22, 2025. The operator subsequently recorded a $561m impairment mainly connected to Junglee Games, including $517m of goodwill.
Flutter Entertainment said in its 2025 annual report that Junglee Games was adapting to the changed regulatory environment. The Indian Government has meanwhile promoted esports and social games that do not involve monetary stakes, with a national authority responsible for classifying and registering permitted products.
The Hyderabad operation remains focused on supporting Flutter Entertainment’s wider international portfolio rather than restoring the real-money products withdrawn from Indian consumers.
Flutter’s India appointment comes during a broader leadership transition, with Dan Taylor due to become Group CEO on October 1. Taylor will inherit the continuing effects of India’s real-money gaming ban alongside pressure on the operator’s US strategy and financial performance.
Flutter Entertainment set a target for women to hold 40% of leadership positions at its Hyderabad centre by 2026
