NEWS ANALYSIS
POKERSTARS
ROLLS THE DICE
THE LAUNCH OF CASINO AND SPORTSBOOK GLOBALLY MARKS A
SIGNIFICANT CHANGE FOR POKERSTARS, AND THE RAMIFICATIONS
ARE LIKELY TO BE FELT JUST AS HARD BY THE WIDER INDUSTRY
ALUN BOWDEN REPORTS
P
okerStars’ announcement on
a quiet Friday afternoon in
November that it would be
launching casino and sports
betting on a global basis is
arguably one of the most significant the
sector has heard for some time. While the
news was not a huge surprise, the speed
of change and the player reaction to the
move suggests this could be a defining
12 months for the firm and the egaming
industry as a whole.
The plan is for PokerStars to roll-out its
in-house blackjack and roulette games on
its dot.com and dot.country poker clients by
the end of the year with approximately half
its customer base having access to casino
products by the start of 2015. PokerStars
declined to comment on the markets where
the products will launch, but it is assumed
they will predominately be those on the
white or lighter grey end of the spectrum.
However, it’s the announcement of an
in-house developed sportsbook platform
that has raised the most eyebrows.
Although Amaya had previously confirmed
plans for a sportsbook next year, it was
widely assumed this would be restricted
to the Full Tilt brand, at least at first, and
the announcement of a global PokerStars
launch shows it plans to move quickly into
areas the previous owners left untouched.
PokerStars was keen to downplay the
significance of the move, despite the
operator remaining poker-only since its
debut in 2001. “We are taking the same
principles, practices and integrity that
make PokerStars such a successful and
beloved brand and applying them to new
verticals,” Eric Hollreiser, head of corporate
communications, said at the time of the
launch. “These new products will also
support the development of poker and
grow the overall business.”
The reaction from a small minority of
PokerStars players, however, was vitriolic,
with the popular poker forum twoplustwo
flooded with angry comments and
promises to boycott the site.
Rarely has a company gone so rapidly
from hero to villain. While forum posters
can comfortably be considered outliers and
not representative of the wider player base,
it’s interesting to note how fervently any
negative news is seized upon at the present
time. The good-natured resignation of
sponsored pro Victoria Coren-Mitchell over
her unwillingness to promote casino games
saw her fêted as a heroic figure by some.
But does all this idle talk really present its
rivals with an opportunity?
SHOWING ITS HAND
Most industry commentators appreciate
the backlash is restricted to a vocal minority
W W W. E G R M A G A Z I N E . C O M
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