PokerStars to Move UK Players Onto Betfair
The switch keeps PokerStars software and the global pool in place, while Paddy Power Poker and Sky Poker are due to follow later.
PokerStars will start operating as “PokerStars on Betfair” from August 13, and UK-based customers will later move onto the Betfair platform while still using PokerStars software and the PokerStars global player pool. The first stage of the change is about how UK players access their accounts, not about taking them off PokerStars.
According to PokerNews, non-UK PokerStars players can keep using the site as they always have. Betfair Poker customers will also begin accessing poker through PokerStars on Betfair from August 13.
The migration will use the same PokerStars software that the company described as the industry standard for the past 25 years. UK-based players will still be able to play the Sunday Million, Spring Championship of Online Poker, World Championship of Online Poker, and Spin & Go tournaments, and they will still be able to qualify for major live events such as the European Poker Tour.
In the coming months, Paddy Power Poker and Sky Poker will replace their own poker product with PokerStars software. PokerStars said that move should add liquidity to the PokerStars.com global liquidity pool, and that merging the UK-based customers of PokerStars and Betfair, plus the later additions of Paddy Power Poker and Sky Poker, should boost liquidity in cash games and tournaments.
The restructuring sits inside a broader shift in how Flutter treats poker. PokerStars Network, or PSN, connects players across Flutter brands into shared pools, with the aim of getting more players together in bigger fields more often and supporting the long-term health of the game.
The company said it is rebuilding liquidity in partnership, starting with other Flutter brands, and pointed to PSN-style success already seen for PokerStars in Italy with Sisal and SNAI, and in North America with FanDuel.
Mike Woodbridge, PokerStars’ chief commercial officer, said recent years have been harder for poker brands because regulation has fragmented the global game and pushed PokerStars to exit some markets and avoid others. He said players have felt that through thinner fields and smaller tournament prizes, and that the move is meant to improve liquidity and bring people back to the poker table.
Kim Daly, Betfair’s managing director, called the changes a “powerful moment for the industry.” She said integrating PokerStars onto the Betfair platform brings together two category-transformers, and that combining it with the Betfair Casino product creates a broader offer covering poker, sports betting, and premium casino gaming.
PokerStars said customer support teams will contact their respective customers to explain the migration process and answer questions, and more details are available on the PokerStars Blog.
