The largest online poker room – PokerStars, has finally diversified its product line from its standard poker services. It launched its Spanish local platform for online casino last Tuesday, after the company received approval from the local gambling authorities. PokerStars.es now also offers online versions of the games roulette and blackjack.
The man responsible for PokerStars businesses in the Southern European countries, Mr. Appiotti, explained that these new online games were launched in order to compete with the local operators and other international gambling businesses established in Spain. Most of the more powerful competitors offer many other games apart from poker.
For example, online poker room Full Tilt Poker, which is also owned by Rational Entertainment Group, included roulette and blackjack to its platform back in January 2014. Full Tilt is a sister company of PokerStars and provides similar products to most of PokerStars’ offerings. Rational Entertainment was recently acquired by the biggest publicly listed company – Amaya Gaming Group. Soon after the acquisition was completed, the CEO of Amaya stated that the company will continue expanding and will ‘accelerate growth into new markets and new verticals.’
Expanding further in Europe
There are a number of other countries where PokerStars is looking to open local websites and to diversify its offerings. One is surely going to be Italy, as Amaya has recently announced that the former manager of EuroBet Mr. Trucco, is to lead the Italian website and the negotiations with the local authorities.
Despite the stiff competition and the currently unfavorable gambling regulations in Italy, Amaya believes PokerStars will manage to reach top of the mind position fast. One of the other global online operators who has also established local website is Bet365.
The estimates of when PokerStars will upgrade its Spanish website with most of its online slots depends on when the Spanish government and the local authorities will finish the undergoing slot regulations. If all goes according to plan, that will be during the first quarter of 2015. PokerStars is currently the top poker provider in the country, with an estimation that 70% of the poker games played online were played through PokerStars. These statistics were provided by a 2013 report from the Directorate General for Gambling Regulation. What all operators must worry about is the overall decline in gambling earnings reported from the first half of 2014, not only in Spain, but in other major European markets as well.
With an overall decline of 5%, the Spanish online gaming association JDigital is wondering why international operators still try to take a bite of the market when there is a mere 4$ revenue after all taxes and other expenses are covered. The association also warned that if the locally-licensed operators do not see a positive change in the gambling regulations, the high taxes (up to 25%) will surely be their death sentence.
