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EU Online Poker Market Took Big Leaps Forward in 2018
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Throughout much of the first decade of the 21st century, poker was one of the most popular games to play online. In the middle of that decade, poker’s popularity soared to heights that put the game in the history books. That poker boom was primarily spurred by Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event victory, courtesy of a PokerStars satellite tournament online.
Online poker sites popped up everywhere in the years that followed. Every sports betting site established an online poker vertical, and every player logged on to at least one of them to live their version of the poker dream. There was merchandise to win, fame to claim, tournament travel packages to win, and millions of dollars on the line. Poker was on every computer and television, and everyone could dream of becoming a poker pro.
However, the US government made a move that began to change it all. In 2006, the United States Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which was subsequently signed into law. Its language was murky, but it was threatening enough to force several online poker operators – most notably PartyPoker – out of the US market.
Several years later, on a day that became known as Black Friday, the US Department of Justice seized the domains of PokerStars, Full Tilt, UltimateBet, and Absolute Poker on April 15, 2011. The indictments of online poker executives and the shutdown of insolvent companies created a snowball effect that changed the poker world forever.
The poker boom was over. And a new era of nation-based poker markets began.
Pieces of the Poker Pie
Governments in some nations around the world began to see internet poker as an industry that only benefited the companies themselves, and governments were not receiving what they viewed as their fair share of the revenues.
Italy was one of the first countries to call for a ban on dot-com poker sites and require operators to obtain licensing from the Italian government to service only Italian players. This gave the Italian regulator, AAMS (Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stado), the ability to control what type of gambling was offered in the country and the revenue derived from it.
Other countries followed suit. France, Spain, and Portugal were just a few of the countries in Europe that took the same approach, establishing regimes within their borders to keep players from competing on dot-com poker sites.
While all of these countries believed they were grabbing their pieces of the poker pie, they neglected to realize that online poker thrived because of the liquidity, the ability for players around the world to compete at the same tables, which allowed sites to offer bigger cash games, tournaments, satellites, etc. When countries separated their players from the rest of the world, the liquidity disappeared, and so did much of the appeal created by the poker boom.
Building Partnerships
Regulators in Spain, France, Italy, and Portugal began to see the benefits of liquidity. And they figured out a way to share players – thereby enhancing the player pools and opportunities – while also keeping the revenue from sites registered within their countries.
In the summer of 2017, after several years of talks among the four regulators, their representatives gathered in Rome to sign an agreement to share online poker action.
The process moved quickly for Portugal, which had only one poker site – PokerStars – registered in its market. In fact, PokerStars was the only site available in all four countries, and it also had experience with the technology necessary to establish a shared poker network. Spain and France launched their combined PokerStars tables in the first quarter of 2018, and Portugal soon joined as well.
From there, it took only a few months for PartyPoker to share its French and Spanish poker players, and Winamax did the same shortly thereafter. Most recently, the iPoker network of sites that includes BetClic, Betfair, Unibet, and Casino Barcelona, received its final approval to share poker online in France and Spain and will launch before the end of 2018.
As the European market grows, players in those countries can return to the tables with more tournaments, bigger guarantees, and more opportunities to play the kind of lucrative games that were available during the poker boom.
Future Growth
The growth of the shared EU online poker market is limited due to the number of players in those countries. And without the cooperation of Italy, which is now working toward more online gaming bans due to a change in governmental views, there is a cap as to how big the market can become.
Countries like Switzerland and Sweden are opening their markets to licensing and could soon have regulated markets that are solid and seeking growth. That growth is available in the European partnership that is already established and showing what shared poker liquidity can do. Further growth lies in new markets joining that partnership.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: EU Online Poker Market Took Big Leaps Forward in 2018

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Bety Casino Launches New Premium Platform with Trusted Licensing, Instant Crypto Withdrawals, and Elite Gaming
Bety Casino, owned and operated by Platinum Technology NV, officially launches its new crypto gambling platform Bety.com. It is offering players 10,000+ titles, several unique in-house games, and instant withdrawals via cryptocurrencies. The platform also operates under the license and regulation of the Curacao Gaming Control Board (GCB) to ensure players globally enjoy gambling in a secure and fair environment.
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The post Bety Casino Launches New Premium Platform with Trusted Licensing, Instant Crypto Withdrawals, and Elite Gaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Esports Charts Becomes Official Viewership Analytics Partner of StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
Esports Charts, the leading esports viewership analytics provider, has partnered with StarLadder, a pioneering tournament organiser. The Budapest Major 2025 marks a highly anticipated comeback for StarLadder, as it is their first Counter-Strike Major since 2019 and a significant return to the top-tier esports arena.
As the official analytics partner of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Esports Charts will provide comprehensive, real-time audience data and insights throughout the event. This will empower organisers, teams, sponsors and fans with unparalleled transparency and a deeper understanding of the tournament’s global reach.
Artyom Odintsov, Co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts, said: “We are thrilled and proud to provide viewership analytics for StarLadder for the Budapest Major 2025. Since both Esports Charts and StarLadder are Ukraine-born companies, we share similar values and deal with similar challenges, which brings us even closer.
“It’s genuinely exciting to follow how viewership will develop at this Major. But knowing the expertise, drive, and passion that the organizers are bringing, I have no doubt we’ll witness some incredible things happen in Budapest.
“Esports Charts has always been driven by a mission to provide the esports community with accurate, actionable data, and we look forward to showcasing the impact and audience engagement of this world-class event.”
StarLadder has been a driving force in global esports for almost 15 years now, since hosting its first tournaments in 2011. Renowned for its innovation and reliability, the company has organised some of the industry’s most iconic events. These include the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, which accumulated over 44 million hours watched and remains in the top 10 CS events by this metric, and the legendary StarSeries tournaments which started back in 2012.
Viacheslav Shcherbakov, Sales and Partnerships at StarLadder, said: “We’ve been working with Esports Charts since their founding and have always valued their professionalism and integrity. In a market where reliable data is essential, Esports Charts provides honest, transparent numbers, exactly the kind of insights sponsors and stakeholders rely on when assessing the potential reach of a World Championship event.
“We’re confident that this partnership will result in a high-quality analysis of our tournament’s performance and the audience data we’ll report to our partners. It’s a collaboration built on trust, shared values, and a deep understanding of what it takes to elevate esports to the next level.”
The Starladder Budapest Major 2025 will be held from November 24 to December 14 in Budapest, Hungary. The event will bring together the world’s top 32 Counter-Strike 2 teams to compete for a $1.25 million prize pool and one of the most prestigious titles in esports.
The post Esports Charts Becomes Official Viewership Analytics Partner of StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Superbet Becomes New Main Sponsor of Jagiellonia Białystok
Superbet has become the new main sponsor of Jagiellonia Białystok. The logo of one of Poland’s leading bookmakers will appear on the front of the Podlasie team’s match jerseys. This is the fourth Ekstraklasa club, alongside Lech Poznań, Górnik Zabrze and GKS Katowice, to join the bookmaker’s extensive sponsorship portfolio.
The new partnership is more than just a logo on a jersey – the collaboration between Jagiellonia and Superbet is intended to have a particularly fan-focused nature. The brand is announcing numerous dedicated campaigns, events and surprises aimed at fans of the yellow and reds. The first of these has already launched with the announcement of the partnership – and will undoubtedly delight anyone planning to purchase the new jersey.
Superbet will pay a 100 PLN bonus towards the purchase of an official Jagiellonia match jersey. A total of 1920 jerseys will be available as part of the promotion – a number symbolically related to the year the club was founded. The promotion is valid both in-store and online and is open to all Superbet app users.
“When making a purchase in a stationary store, all you need to do is show the installed application, and for online customers, verification will take place via the email address: [email protected], to which you can simply send a short message, and in response, fans will receive a unique code entitling them to purchase a T-shirt at a discount,” explains Bartosz Malaka, Head of Marketing & Sponsoring at Superbet.
However, this is not the end of surprises for fans of the Białystok club, because if they register using the special code “JAGA,” they will also receive a welcome bonus.
“Jagiellonia fits perfectly into our sponsorship strategy – it’s a club with ambition, a strong identity, and enormous potential that combines modernity with local character. W’’re thrilled to be embarking on this journey together. Our logo will now appear on the fronts of the jerseys of four Ekstraklasa clubs, confirming our continued leadership in sports sponsorship,” said Łukasz Seweryniak, General Manager of Superbet Polska.
“Jaga is the perfect partner for us – with a great history and a huge, loyal community of fans who live and breathe this club every day. With them in mind, we’re preparing a whole package of activations, surprises, and events designed to build even stronger bonds. We want to show that just as Jaga is a super club, Superbet is a super sponsor,” Malaka said.
“I am extremely proud and happy to have entered into a partnership with such a renowned and recognizable brand as Superbet. I would like to emphasize that this is the highest-ever sponsorship agreement in the club’s history, which further underscores the importance of this partnership. I believe the word ‘partnership’ is key in the context of our agreement. I am most pleased that we are not just gaining a sponsor, but a true partner with whom we will achieve great things together,” said Ziemowit Deptuła, President of the Management Board of Jagiellonia Białystok SSA.
The partnership with Superbet is another important step in Jagiellonia’s development – not only in terms of sporting activities, but also in terms of modern marketing and fan engagement. Both parties emphasize that this will be a collaboration based on genuine commitment and closeness to fans.
The post Superbet Becomes New Main Sponsor of Jagiellonia Białystok appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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