Eight-Year-Old Indian Boy Wins Half a Million in Online Poker

An eight-year-old boy from India, Aaashish Nananak, is at the center of a legal battle after winning approximately half a million dollars in an online poker tournament. The case began on March 11, 2010, in New Delhi. Aaashish's family consists of 12 members and lives in slums, hoping to use the winnings to improve their lives.

Aaashish's mother is a hotel cleaner who left her son in front of a computer screen with cartoons while she worked. Aaashish has been using computers since the age of three and playing poker since he was six. His mother said that he has been creating his own web pages since he was four years old.

Staff at the poker site gave Aaashish the nickname 'littlepokerwizard'. The legal battle centers around whether Aaashish should be allowed to keep the winnings, as the poker site argues that he is too young and provided false information during registration. Aaashish's family, however, maintains that there is no rule preventing him from helping his uncle with the game.