PokerStars’ decision to launch casino games has been a controversial one. Now, the company has chosen to pull the games from the Spanish gaming market. According to the Durrrr Challenge blog, casino games were pulled from PokerStars earlier this week. The company stated that the move was made in order to comply with local gaming regulators but gaming industry experts are not so sure.

Local gaming laws state that online blackjack games must provide players with detailed hand histories, and this option disappeared from PokerStars’ Spanish site. Rather than issuing a software update, the company pulled the games altogether – causing industry experts to wonder whether it truly is a regulation issue. Some analysts are doubtful that PokerStars’ new online casino offering is living up to expectations.

Spain was the first market in which the casino games were offered, in order to prevent poker players from visiting other sites to access games like roulette and blackjack. The move was thought to be a wise one, bringing in more money for the company – but, the site has seen a 20% drop in activity at its poker tables.

One major concern is that the addition of casino games has damaged PokerStars’ reputation in the eyes of serious poker players. So, many players may be taking their business to sites that are dedicated to poker only. Professional poker player Vicky Coren is an example of this type of player. Shortly after PokerStars added casino games, she decided to leave the poker site’s team of pros.

As an avid responsible gambling advocate, she could not support the company’s decision to offer games of luck in addition to its skill-based poker offering. Gaming industry experts continue to speculate about the closure of PokerStars’ casino games offering in Spain.

We will keep you posted as the story develops.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.