Full Tilt Poker isn’t the only online poker company that has its sights set on the casino gambling world. Now, PokerStars has announced its own plans to launch an online casino to appeal to a new audience in the online gaming market. This exclusive news comes from EGR Magazine, which reveals that Amaya Gaming CEO David Baazov is currently making plans to launch an online casino on the PokerStars platform by the end of 2014.
The new casino will be available to Spanish and Italian residents, and offer up games like blackjack and roulette. This is the first time that PokerStars has admitted to making plans to launch an online casino. There has been much speculation on the topic ever since Full Tilt Poker started offering casino games earlier this year.
Reports from Rational Group and Amaya Gaming stated that PokerStars would remain ‘poker only’ but it seems that things have changed. "Going forward we anticipate significantly scaling up the casino exposure to Rational’s player base including launches into new regulated jurisdictions in Q4 2014 and in 2015,” says Mr Baazov. “Additionally we plan to launch a casino client and the ability to play via mobile”.
This is big news for the online casino market, as PokerStars is a major player in the online gambling market. The site already sees thousands of players on its poker games every day, and the addition of casino games will only serve to boost its profile among a wider range of players. So, multi-purpose gambling operators like PartyCasino and 888 will certainly have to watch out.
PokerStars is entering their territory and competition is likely to heat up. This news is still breaking, so we will keep you updated with further developments as they arise.