Flutter Entertainment is moving to consolidate its UK poker operations around PokerStars, with the flagship poker brand set to become available across Betfair, Sky Bet and Paddy Power as part of a wider strategy focused on liquidity, cross-selling and a more unified customer experience.
The first stage of the rollout begins with Betfair on 13 August, when the poker product will launch under the name “PokerStars on Betfair”. Flutter plans to follow with integrations across Sky Bet and Paddy Power later this year.
The move represents a significant change to how Flutter operates PokerStars in the UK and is designed to bring players from multiple brands into a shared poker ecosystem.
Betfair to lead the initial rollout
The first integration will see PokerStars brought onto the Betfair platform, combining the poker product with Betfair’s existing sports betting and casino offering.
Kim Daly, Managing Director of Betfair, said the integration would bring together two established brands while creating a broader gaming proposition for customers.
“By integrating PokerStars onto the Betfair platform, we’re uniting two category-transformers that share a passion for innovation and player empowerment.”
The existing PokerStars UK platform will remain operational for the time being. However, Flutter intends to eventually migrate the brand and its customers fully onto the Betfair Casino platform.
Similar plans are in place for Sky Bet and Paddy Power, with PokerStars expected to sit alongside each brand’s existing casino products.
Flutter targets larger poker liquidity pools
One of the main objectives behind the restructuring is to increase liquidity.
Poker liquidity is particularly important for tournament fields, cash games and prize pools, and Flutter believes that combining players across its UK brands can create a deeper and more attractive poker ecosystem.
The shared liquidity model is also intended to connect the UK operations more closely with the wider PokerStars Network, creating access to a larger international player pool.
Mike Woodbridge, Chief Commercial Officer at PokerStars, said the changes are designed to address the fragmentation that has affected online poker in recent years.
“A patchwork of regulation from one market to the next has fragmented the global game and led us to make the difficult decisions to exit certain markets and not enter others.”
According to Woodbridge, the fragmentation has resulted in smaller player pools, thinner tournament fields and reduced prize pools.
The company now hopes that a more consolidated operating model will help reverse some of those effects.
A strategy Flutter has already tested internationally
The UK rollout follows similar moves in other markets.
PokerStars has already been integrated into FanDuel’s US operations, while Flutter has also implemented the model through its Italian brands Sisal and SNAI.
The approach reflects a broader strategy within Flutter to make greater use of its established brands and technology infrastructure across its international portfolio.
The company acquired The Stars Group in 2020, bringing PokerStars and Sky Bet into the Flutter group and giving the operator control of one of the world’s most recognisable online poker brands.
PokerStars, which launched in 2001, has remained one of the biggest names in online poker despite increasing regulatory fragmentation across international markets.
UK gambling market creates additional pressure
The consolidation comes against a challenging backdrop for online gambling operators in the UK.
A new tax regime has recently increased Remote Gaming Duty from 21% to 40%, placing additional pressure on online casino operators and potentially encouraging companies to look for greater efficiencies across their brands and technology platforms.
Flutter is also navigating a broader period of strategic change. Current Group CEO Peter Jackson is due to step down in October, when Dan Taylor is expected to take over the role.
The company recently reported a $296 million net loss, although revenue from its UK and Irish operations increased by 4% year-on-year to $971 million (£719 million).
PokerStars remains a key Flutter brand
Despite the changes to its operating model, Flutter continues to position PokerStars as a strategically important part of its global portfolio.
The company believes that bringing PokerStars closer to Betfair, Sky Bet and Paddy Power can create a more integrated betting and gaming experience while addressing one of online poker’s biggest challenges: maintaining sufficiently large and liquid player pools.
The Betfair integration on 13 August will mark the first major step in that process, with further migration plans expected to follow across Flutter’s UK brands later this year.
Source: SBC News / Flutter Entertainment / PokerStars