Flutter Entertainment is taking PokerStars beyond its own portfolio, opening the PokerStars Network to third-party operators and turning its shared poker infrastructure into a new B2B offering.
The move gives external partners access to PokerStars’ player liquidity, games, tournaments and live events, while also creating the possibility of using the PokerStars brand in regulated markets where Flutter does not operate directly.
The expansion comes only weeks after Flutter completed the first stage of consolidating its international poker brands onto one shared network.
PokerStars Opens Its Liquidity Pool
The PokerStars Network was initially built to bring Flutter’s own poker brands together.
Betfair Poker was the first to move across in August, leaving the iPoker network and joining PokerStars’ software and shared player pool. Paddy Power Poker and Sky Poker are expected to follow later in 2026, with further network expansion planned for 2027.
The strategy addresses one of poker’s biggest challenges: liquidity.
With more players sharing the same network, operators can support larger tournament fields, bigger prize pools and more active cash-game tables instead of splitting traffic between separate poker rooms.
PokerStars has already described fragmented liquidity as a problem for players, particularly through smaller tournament fields and prizes.
Now, Flutter is taking that infrastructure beyond its own brands.
What External Operators Can Access
Third-party partners will be able to connect to the PokerStars Network and use a range of services already developed for the group’s poker operations.
The offering includes:
- Shared player liquidity
- Centralised games and tournament scheduling
- Game integrity and monitoring
- Access to PokerStars live and online events
- PokerStars technology and platform integration
- Customisable promotions and tournament tools
- Content and marketing support
- White-label options
- The potential to operate under the PokerStars brand
The branding option could be particularly significant.
Rather than simply providing technology and liquidity, PokerStars can now potentially appear as the consumer-facing brand operated by a third-party partner. That gives Flutter a route into markets where it may not hold its own B2C licence.
Commercial terms for the B2B model have not been disclosed.
A Bigger Network Is Already Taking Shape
The PokerStars Network is no longer limited to the UK brands being consolidated by Flutter.
The company says the network already covers different markets and structures, including Sisal and SNAI in Italy, FanDuel in the US, and Betfair, Paddy Power and Sky in the UK.
That gives Flutter a growing network on which to build its external B2B proposition.
PokerStars also brings an established tournament ecosystem, including major series such as Sunday Million, SCOOP and WCOOP, potentially giving partners access to a much broader poker schedule than they could build independently.
Regulation Still Sets the Limits
Opening the network to external operators does not mean players from every market can simply be pooled together.
Poker liquidity remains heavily influenced by local regulation. European jurisdictions can restrict or organise shared liquidity through specific licensing arrangements, while US online poker operates on a state-by-state basis, with player sharing dependent on interstate agreements.
As a result, each B2B partner will only be able to connect its players to the pools permitted under its local licence.
That makes regulation a key part of how far the PokerStars Network can expand.
PokerStars Takes the B2B Model to SBC Summit
Flutter is now preparing to introduce the B2B proposition to potential partners, with the PokerStars Network team set to attend SBC Summit Lisbon from 29 September to 1 October.
For prospective operators, the commercial questions will go beyond access to PokerStars technology. Revenue-sharing arrangements, integration costs, player management and the amount of control partners retain over their own operations will all shape the appeal of the model.
Meanwhile, the upcoming migration of Paddy Power Poker and Sky Poker will provide another test of Flutter’s strategy as the company continues building a single network around one of the biggest names in online poker.
Source: PokerStars