PokerStars launches shared pool in France, Spain

PokerStars has rolled out a shared player pool between locally licensed online poker markets in France and Spain.

The launch establishes PokerStars as the first operator to offer such a service, which allows players in both countries to play against each other.

In July 2017, national regulatory bodies in France and Spain, as well as in Italy and Portugal, came to an agreement regarding online poker liquidity sharing

Portugal is expected to join the combined French and Spanish markets later this year, although regulators in Italy are yet to confirm details of when the country will begin its involvement.

Guy Templer, chief operating officer of the Stars Interactive Group gaming arm of The Stars Group, said: “We applaud the French and Spanish regulators’ efforts to facilitate and enable a dramatic improvement in the quality and integrity of the gaming experience in their jurisdictions.

“With combined liquidity, players from France and Spain can access a larger player pool with bigger prizes, promotions and a better selection of games, all with the confidence provided by a trusted, licensed operator.”

Templer also said that PokerStars intends to also offer its services to players in both the Italian and Portuguese markets, as soon as the countries join the pool

“We look forward to extending the combined player pool to Italian and Portuguese players, and we offer our full support to the relevant authorities in those countries to do so,” Templer said.

Related article: Stars Group targets partial liquidity pooling in FIPS