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PokerStars will become part of the Betfair platform in the United Kingdom from August 13, in the first step of a wider restructuring by parent company Flutter Entertainment aimed at increasing liquidity and player pools across its poker brands.
The poker brand will operate in the UK as PokerStars on Betfair, while customers will continue using PokerStars software and retain access to the global PokerStars player pool.
UK players will still be able to participate in major PokerStars tournaments including the Sunday Million, Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) and World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), as well as Spin & Go tournaments and qualification events for the European Poker Tour.
Paddy Power Poker and Sky Poker are also expected to adopt PokerStars software in the coming months, further increasing liquidity across the PokerStars global pool.
Mike Woodbridge, Chief Commercial Officer at PokerStars, said the changes were a response to a more fragmented global poker market. “In recent years, the market environment has gotten harder for brands like PokerStars,” Woodbridge said.
“A patchwork of regulations from one market to the next has fragmented the global game and led us to make difficult decisions to exit certain markets and not enter others,” he explained. “Players have felt it through thinner fields and smaller tournament prizes on our site.”
“We want to do something about that, so we’re moving to a different model with the aim of improving liquidity and player pools and bringing people back to the poker table,” he added.
The shared-liquidity model connects players across Flutter’s brands into larger pools, with the company saying it aims to create bigger fields and more frequent participation. Similar models have already been used by PokerStars in Italy with Sisal and SNAI and in North America with FanDuel.
Kim Daly, Managing Director at Betfair, described the integration as a significant development for the industry.
“I’m thrilled to bring two iconic brands under one roof,” Daly said. “By integrating PokerStars onto the Betfair platform, we’re uniting two category-transformers that share a passion for innovation and player empowerment.”
“Combined with the market-leading Betfair Casino product we’ve developed, this creates a truly comprehensive offering – poker, sports betting, and premium casino gaming all seamlessly integrated,” Daly added.
From Aug. 13, Betfair Poker customers will access poker through PokerStars on Betfair. Non-UK PokerStars customers will continue to use the existing PokerStars platform, while UK customers will access the global player pool through the new client.