EVENBET GAMING
and Portugal finally agreed to a sign a liquidity sharing agreement to help spur growth. “This agreement will set the basis for cooperation between the signing Authorities and will be followed by further necessary steps within each of the jurisdictions involved in order to effectively allow for liquidity poker tables,” the four regulators said in a joint statement. Of course, being a peer-to-peer game, online
poker relies on player liquidity in a way online slots and sports betting do not. Ring-fenced poker jurisdictions and fragmented player pools have been a big factor in online poker’s struggles over recent years. When players could not find a game that suited their stakes, they simply turned off. Combining four jurisdictions into one shared
pool went a long way to solving this problem, and sets the scene for an encouraging future for poker in Western Europe after many years of decline.
Different variants D
uring poker’s heyday, the vast majority of revenue was generated by the Texas Hold’em format, which was
overwhelmingly popular online, in large part because it was the variant almost exclusively shown on TV. However, poker 2.0 is finding that a wider
range of formats are now enjoying growth. It has become increasingly important to monitor these variants and build them into marketing strategies. The wind can change suddenly, with certain forms enjoying a surge in popularity or tailing off very quickly. Omaha, long poker’s second most popular
variant, has been growing in popularity for many years now. Omaha holds a number of upsides as a format, most notably its high variance and the way the game encourages faster, looser action. Alongside Omaha, several more niche variants
have enjoyed rapid growth in recent months and years. For instance, at EvenBet Gaming we’ve recently noticed strong growth in our Open Face Chinese Poker game. Meanwhile various forms of poker that combine the core gameplay with spins are also proving a success. The lesson, as ever, is that innovative new
products can drive growth in the poker vertical in much the same way they do in other gaming verticals. For a long time, operators and suppliers relied on the base game to generate growth. That is quickly changing, and the result is a more diverse and interesting poker ecosystem.
Global appeal D
espite poker’s struggles in the US and Western Europe, it retains a dedicated global following that continues to remain
loyal to the game. In eastern Europe and the former CIS, poker has remained a durable proposition for operators. It is also proving a
DECEMBER 2017 53
his all adds up to a bright future, but only if operators know how to integrate poker in a way that benefits their wider offering. It also means taking a proactive approach to the future of the game. At EvenBet, we update our poker client on a weekly basis, publishing a list of new features and fixes for operators. This commitment, paired with a close relationship with operating partners, allows us to identify and solve issues quickly, and keep the poker product fresh and player-focused. Operators can also now integrate poker deeper
T “
into their marketing and CRM functions. This means it becomes easier to manage users, analyse behaviour and offer a more personalised experience on everything from marketing to bonusing. Those suppliers who provide their poker product with open APIs makes this whole process seamless. EvenBet Gaming has been active in the poker supplier market since 2004, and we have witnessed the highs and lows. This is still a hugely exciting sector with vast
potential. Poker is finding a new place within online gaming, and it still has a lot to offer.
Poker is no longer
front of mind in the online gaming industry
”
surprising growth product and market entry in a number of emerging jurisdictions, such as India. The online market in most of Asia was nowhere
near as advanced as it is today during the first poker boom of the mid-noughties. The game has only reached significant numbers in the last couple of years. What this means is that there is a lot of untapped poker potential in Asia. Then there is the US. There has been a large amount of talk about regulation, and poker is certainly in the mix. Progress will be slow, and likely on a state-by-state basis, but I would expect a number of states to introduce legislation that covers online poker in the coming years. Poker has long been ‘America’s game’ and the online variant could soon be making a comeback.
Bright future
new place within online gaming, and it still has a lot to offer
“ ”
Poker is finding a
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