888poker Set to Launch Own Branded Poker Room in Nevada, Suggests Two-Year Ban on PokerStars in the US

It’s been a year of mergers, acquisitions and expansions, with Canadian Amaya pushing the envelope with its plans for PokerStars return to the US. We had earlier written about the popular sites impending re-entry to the US and the adverse reactions and opposition it faces from rival factions.

Well, it looks like besides the Native Indian cartel and the brick and mortar casinos, PokerStars will now also face opposition from other online giants such as 888Poker.

News reports have come in which announce that 888Poker is committed to its operations in the US and is now seeking a head start over PokerStars in the country.

WSOP is currently the largest operator in Nevada and it uses 888 software for its services. Now, 888poker is seeking to launch its own online poker room in the Nevada market, having seamless connectivity with WSOP, a forthcoming Treasure Island skin, and the three Delaware casinos.

According to Mattingley, the new poker room would be operational by the last quarter of this year or early 2015.

These six poker rooms would operate under the name of the All American Poker Network (AAPN) and could emerge as the biggest online provider in the regulated US market.

Talking about its US operations, Brian Mattingley CEO 888 said that a two-year penalty should be imposed on PokerStars, before they were allowed entry into the country. He explained the statement saying that since PokerStars had continued enjoying the benefit of operations long after the UIGEA had barred them, this advantage should be nullified with a delay in their re-entry.

“We ought to see the regulators saying that they can come in, but because they were taking wagers illegally for those years, you are going to have to suffer a penalty where you can’t operate for a given period of time,” Mattingley said.

He also admitted that the return of PokerStars, “would make all of us work much harder and it would expand the market.”

Currently 888 is the sole online gaming provider in Delaware, with three licensed “racinos”, which shared the same software and online poker liquidity.

Last week the company announced that it was set to launch a shared poker network, through the states of Delaware and Nevada. A few months back the two states had signed a unique treaty to allow operators to provide an open liquidity to players, giving them accessibility from any part of the states.

Describing the agreement, it was explained that just as lotteries benefited by having large players, which led to larger prize pools, similarly, shared poker services would be advantageous to players.

Governor Jack Markell of Delaware stated that the agreement “authorizes internet poker operators in Delaware and Nevada to open up their games to players in both states.”

This agreement has opened up a huge window of opportunity for online operators, with 888 the first to jump in to the fray.

“We are aiming to deploy a shared poker network across the two states which will offer poker players in each state an enhanced customer experience,” a company representative said.

888 already runs an online poker room in New Jersey, which it operates jointly with Avenue Capital. The last many months have seen the group posting losses in the state due to “a more general lack of awareness in the market of legalized online gaming”, besides geo-location issues, payment processing problems, and unlicensed competitors.

However, the company reiterated its commitment to staying in the US “We remain fully committed to the US market through our B2B business as well as through our interest in the AAPN joint venture. Through our technical, operational and commercial expertise and flexibility we continue to be in an exceptionally strong position as the market regulates.”

The group’s 2014 Half Year report made these statements and noted, “We have maintained our position at number two in the global PokerScout rankings, which is testament to the strength of the 888poker brand, our ‘smart’ marketing strategy and CRM.”