Poker Stars Launch Casino Games in Spain

We know that many of our customers are enjoying online casino games on competing platforms and our offering will enhance their experience with PokerStars and provide a safe, trusted and convenient way for them to be entertained. Gino Appiotti, President of Southern Europe for PokerStars;

The casino games are available through the special ‘Casino’ tab in the latest Poker Stars 7 client version, available in Spain and majority of other markets. It is unclear when and if Stars will start offering their casino games on other domains, but odds are certainly in favor of it.

Taking it in Stride

While some are concerned that casino games could damage poker games, others are of the opinion that where there is casino, there will be gamblers willing to put the money from the games of chance tables on the poker felt. Who is right?

Both groups are, at the same time, right and wrong in some of their points. Casino games may hurt poker to some extent, as happy-go-luckies may opt that they would rather try their luck with Black Jack or Roulette instead of giving themselves to the mercy of flops, turns and rivers. But allure of poker has never been just money and this is why the games will probably continue to thrive.

Gamblers may look for their adrenaline rush in some other games, but the competitive nature of poker, absent from the casino games, will have them returning to the felt. And after a good night at the casino tables, they may feel even more inclined to splash some money around and show the grinders ‘who’s the boss’.

On the other hand, sheer volume could suffer as players could spread their attention all over the place with so many different things on offer. After all, they are there to have fun, and switching games every now and then adds to the enjoyment.

Overall, some changes could and probably will ensue as casino games start to get introduced on a wider scale, but it is not necessary that it will damage poker offering. The climate and dynamics might change, but this change could also be good in a sense that it will bring players to the poker tables that would never be there in the first place had there not been a casino offering.

Finally, for serious grinders, poker has always been about adapting, so after things get more defined, there is no doubt that the toughest ones will come out on top once again. Others may struggle a bit more, but it’s not anything new – changes in and around poker have been happening for a long time and this will continue in the future. The only things that always differ are the scope and variation of the change.