- Two interviews with 888’s Senior Vice President and Head of US about their plans in the US.
- Questions for Randy Lew, WPN’s new security consultant on their efforts to keep the site free from bots.
- Interviews with PokerStars on their new rewards system and partypoker’s new Managing Director on their poker business.
Yaniv Sherman on 888’s Poker Progress in the United States: Exclusive Interview (May 2021)
Top line: “When pokerfuse spoke with Yaniv Sherman, 888 Holdings’ Senior Vice President and Head of US, in February of this year, it felt like the US online poker market was poised for transformation.”
Key takeaways:
- With the competition making aggressive moves into the US online poker market, PRO catches up with 888 Holdings’ Senior Vice President and Head of US to get his take on their progress in Michigan and Pennsylvania, expectations for shared liquidity, hopes for new US states and more.
- “[W]e hope that Pennsylvania and Michigan would join the existing poker compact. If that’s the case, perhaps, we’re attempting to launch them pretty much concurrently. If not, we’ll just have to stagger them.”
- “I would say that in 2022 at the latest, we’ll be looking to open additional poker brands in the marketplace.”
- “What we are trying to do—not very successfully so far—is to educate policymakers of the differences between poker and casino.”
- “It’s a matter of when, rather than if. I think of West Virginia, they’re out there, we start rolling out 888poker, we’ll launch there at some point in time”
Eight Questions for Randy Lew, WPN’s New Security Consultant and Former PokerStars Team Pro (June 2021)
Top line: “The prominent US-facing offshore online poker network Winning Poker Network (WPN) has recently ramped up its efforts to keep the site free from bots and other fraud activities.”
Key takeaways:
- The prominent US-facing offshore online poker network Winning Poker Network (WPN) has recently ramped up its efforts to keep the site free from bots and other fraud activities.
- Late last year, in a bid to double down on its game safety and security, WPN appointed former PokerStars Team Pro Randy “Nanonoko” Lew as the network’s new security consultant and gameplay expert.
- PRO got the opportunity to ask Lew about his new role at the company, share more details on bot statistics, what steps are being taken to keep the site bot-free, whether they are seeing fewer offending accounts since his new role and more.
- “WPN wants to be good for poker and transparency is one of the most important things to keep that trust between the operator and players,” said Randy Lew to PRO.
Greater Transparency, Increased Generosity and Volume-Driven New Rewards System: Q&A With PokerStars’ Severin Rasset (July 2021)
Top line: “Poker Industry PRO spoke to Severin Rasset, Managing Director of Poker at PokerStars to learn about the operator’s new rewards system that offers players a chance to earn up to 65% cashback.”
Key takeaways:
- On Tuesday, July, 6, PokerStars deployed a trial version of its new rewards system that offers players a chance to earn cashback of up to 65%.
- It marks a complete U-turn in the ideology the operator has maintained for the last four years, i.e., reducing rewards for high volume and winning players.
- PRO got the opportunity to sit down with PokerStars’ Managing Director of Poker, Severin Rasset, to discuss the new rewards system.
- “The PokerStars Rewards trial combines a transparent core loyalty program offering 15%-25% in rewards, plus a Monthly Poker Challenge worth up to an additional 40% cashback.”
- “We’ve been listening to customer feedback with plans to make improvements for some time now, and this trial is the largest step we’ve taken thus far to address player concerns.”
Yaniv Sherman on 888’s Partnership with SI, Plans in future states: Exclusive Interview (July 2021)
Top line: “For months, most of the discussion on 888’s future plans in the US centered on the launch of WSOP in Pennsylvania and Michigan, and whether both states would ultimately join an existing interstate compact for shared liquidity or form their own.”
Key takeaways:
- WSOP poker rooms in Nevada and New Jersey, as well as 888’s poker room in New Jersey and the three racino skins it offers in Delaware, will all also be upgraded to Poker 8 in the near future.
- The success of the SI Sportsbook in Colorado, the first state where it will initially be available, could determine what poker skins emerge, if any, under the SI brand.
- He predicts the industry will continue to go through transformative change through the rest of the year.
Still “Fully Committed” to Growing the Poker Business: An Interview with partypoker’s New Managing Director, Paris Anatolitis (August 2021)
Top line: “In 2021, partypoker underwent a change in leadership. Paris Anatolitis, Entain’s Group Commercial Director, was recently appointed Managing Director of Party Brands. His duties include overseeing its online poker product partypoker, alongside Poker Director Vadim Soloveychik, who was…”
Key takeaways:
- “[W]e believe healthy competition is good for players and for the industry, as it challenges the status quo, which should ignite growth.”
- “We now live in quite an unpredictable world, but should we be required to move any more live events online, we will be well placed to do that.”
- “We want to grow a sustainable MTT offering … and we feel the best way to do this is by offering a better experience for these players by limiting late registration and re-entries.”
GGPoker’s ClubGG: Interview with Business & Operations Head Dom Choi (September 2021)
Top line: “Recently, GGPoker launched a subscription-based model on their private club app, ClubGG. It gives players across the globe ways to win a seat to the WSOP Main Event for a monthly subscription of $49.99.”
Key takeaways:
- It gives players across the globe ways to win a seat to the WSOP Main Event for a monthly subscription of $49.99.
- The business model operates under the tried-and-tested sweepstakes model.
- PRO understands that already 15 players have won their seats to the WSOP Main Event via the ClubGG app.
Understanding Ukrainian Online Poker: An Interview with Viktor Kirichenko, CEO of PokerMatch Ukraine (October 2021)
Top line: “It is fair to say that regulation of online gambling in the Ukraine, including online poker, has flown under the radars of many in the industry.”
Key takeaways:
- PokerMatch, a leading online poker room in the region, received its license in July.
- GGPoker and Vbet have also been approved for online poker, but none are yet live.
- “The company is already conducting a vibrant marketing preparation and working out its competitive strategy.”
- “We will popularize sports poker, attracting more and more Ukrainians to dive into the world of this beautiful game.”
