- A new loyalty program, constant upgrades to its software, its return to live poker, regulatory headwinds, and record-setting revenues are some of the big changes we saw for Unibet this year.
- Kindred’s flagship online poker room had one of the biggest years in its history.
- Here are the 20 most monumental moments of Unibet’s 2021.
Unibet to Overhaul Loyalty Program with Simplified Rakeback-Style Rewards (January 2021)
Top line: “Unibet has revealed that it will be rolling out its new loyalty program across all markets on April 1, which will offer over 50% in rakeback to its highest volume players.”
Key takeaways:
- The system is designed to give the operator flexibility in different markets.
- The loyalty program equates to a minimum of 10% rakeback for any player that pays at least €5 in rake in a quarter.
- It goes up to 51.1% — one of the best on offer in the industry — for those that can contribute almost €44,000 in rake in a quarter.
- It will also unlock different levels of Game Lab, a new feature teased back in August.
- Players in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Poland, will have lower rewards as they are “bad for ecology.”
Unibet Online Poker Revenue Soars to All Time High (February 2021)
Top line: “Kindred Group reported bumper fourth quarter and full-year financial results this week, crossing over the £1 billion mark in total revenue for the first time in company history.”
Key takeaways:
- While still a very small part of the portfolio, the group’s poker product Unibet Poker remains a highlight.
- It accelerates growth that the vertical was already enjoying: — it is more than double the revenue reported in 2017.
- Notable in this week’s results is just how strong numbers have been since the summer’s coronavirus-fueled explosion.
Live Poker in Europe Returns with the Unibet Deepstack Open in March 2021 (February 2021)
Top line: “The Unibet-sponsored Deepstack Open will host a special edition of the popular live poker mid-stakes festival next month, organizers have confirmed.”
Key takeaways:
- Labeled as the UDSO 5 Special, it will take place from March 11 to March 14 at the Portomaso Casino in Malta.
- It marks the return to the live poker circuit by a major operator in central Europe.
- Portomaso Casino has been implementing various hygienic measures for the past six months.
The Unibet Online Series XI Gets Underway (February 2021)
Top line: “The Unibet Online Series (UOS) makes its debut for 2021 today, returning with €1 million in guarantees spread across 145 events.”
Key takeaways:
- As is traditional with the UOS series, nano, low, mid, and high buy-in levels are spread across the schedule.
- For the second time, the Unibet Open Online will play out online as the Main Event.
- A leaderboard will run in tandem with the series, giving away an additional €32,000 in prize money.
Unibet Nets Three-Year Deal with Swedish Poker Association to Host Poker Championships Online (March 2021)
Top line: “Unibet Poker — a subsidiary of Kindred Group — has signed a three-year deal with the Swedish Poker Association to host the online portion of the Swedish Poker Championships (Poker-SM).”
Key takeaways:
- Unibet hosted Poker-SM Online last year, so this new deal is an extension of a one-year trial between the pair.
- The Svenska Pokerförbunde organizes an online and live tournament series once a year, open to Swedish residents only.
- Unibet has also hosted Poker-SM Online for four years in a partnership that ended a decade ago.
Unibet Moves Entire Live 2021 Schedule Online (March 2021)
Top line: “Unibet has once again come out of the gates early, moving all its Unibet Open live events online, for the second year running.”
Key takeaways:
- The early decision gives their players a clear idea of what can be expected from the events in the year to come.
- “We were the first to announce the switch to online last year and we’ve taken similar fast, decisive action this year.”
- “I was holding out hope that a December event could have been on the cards so, like many of our players, I am disappointed. Ultimately though, I’m really proud of how we have put player safety above everything else.”
Unibet Celebrates Seventh Birthday with Milestone Gift Drops (March 2021)
Top line: “Cash game players on Unibet can expect to get €95,000 in birthday presents from Unibet Poker before the end of April, as the operator prepares to celebrate seven years as an independent online poker operator.”
Key takeaways:
- They could be in the form of tickets for MTTs or HexaPro games, or in the form of bonus points.
- The higher one plays, the bigger the prizes will be, but there are more prizes available for lower buy-in levels.
- The operator has become one of the fastest-growing online poker sites in the world.
Unibet Launches New Rewards Program For Players On a Downswing (April 2021)
Top line: “Independent poker room Unibet has launched a new rewards program called Replay Rewards, that will see losing players rewarded a total of up to €15,000 per week. The rewards can be unlocked by completing missions.”
Key takeaways:
- Losing players who are part of the online Unibet community will be targeted by an algorithm designed to pick out players who are on a weekly downswing.
- “Poker players understand that variance is the nature of the beast. Losing sessions sting. Downswings hurt. At some level, you have to be a masochist to play the game. Hopefully, the Replay Rewards Program will soften the blow for our players when variance is being especially cruel,” Unibet Ambassador David Lappin told PRO.
- The promotion is slated to run until the end of the year.
Unibet Launches Supermoon, Biggest Regular Tournament on Schedule (April 2021)
Top line: “Unibet — part of the Kindred Group — has announced the biggest tournament on their regular schedule, the €40,000 Supermoon. The new tournament will be a €250 buy-in two-day progressive knockout event running monthly, and replaces the Unibet Poker UK Tour.”
Key takeaways:
- The new tournament will be a €250 buy-in two-day progressive knockout event running monthly and replaces the Unibet Poker UK Tour.
- The new game will run on the first Sunday of every month, starting May 2.
- The new Supermoon eclipses the €200 Big Bang as the biggest buy-in on the client to run at least monthly.
Unibet Online Series Returns with Slimmed Down Offering (May 2021)
Top line: “The Unibet Online Series (UOS) XII makes a return in May for its second outing for 2021. It will guarantee €650,000 in prize money across 102 events in what is a notably smaller offering from the operator.”
Key takeaways:
- The series has been condensed into just two weeks, meaning the guarantee and spread of events is not as thin as first thought.
- “Responding to customer feedback (and the sobbing appeals from their ambassadors), Unibet have scheduled a shorter UOS for May,” Unibet Global Ambassador David Lappin told PRO.
- As is standard for a UOS, nano, low, mid, and high buy-in levels are spread across the schedule. Five leaderboard races and mystery tournaments are also in the mix.
Unibet Poker Prepares for Partial Exit in Germany Due to Proposed Turnover Tax (May 2021)
Top line: “Kindred Group’s online poker room Unibet has laid out plans on how to proceed if the proposed new online gambling law in Germany goes into effect as planned.”
Key takeaways:
- “This new tax will have a big impact on poker,” wrote Unibet’s site representative.
- Unibet will cover the cost of the tax “but this may be subject to change in the future,” as outlined by the Unibet spokesperson.
- These measures include the removal of the loyalty program but, more notably, the removal of cash games and SNGs.
- MTTs and Hexapro games will stay.
Unibet Rolls Out New Quarterly Volume-Based Rewards Program (July 2021)
Top line: “Unibet Poker has deployed its all-new loyalty program, which moves away from a challenges-based system to a more straightforward program that rewards players with bonus points and cash back, the more they play.”
Key takeaways:
- Due to unforeseen delays, the program’s implementation was pushed back a quarter.
- “Gone are monthly challenges that must be completed at the tables to unlock various rewards.
- In its place is a simple rakeback-style rewards program that gives players bonus points and “level rewards” the more they play.
- For every dollar in rake paid at the tables, players earn Bonus Points.
Inside Game Lab, Unibet’s All-New In-Client Play Stats Tool (July 2021)
Top line: “Alongside its new loyalty program, independent online poker room Unibet Poker has launched Game Lab, a new play statistics tool built into the online poker client.”
Key takeaways:
- Launching Game Lab transports the user to a fresh new interface, accompanied by background music, slick animations, and smooth transitions.
- Game Lab is split into five distinct sections, presented in a dedicated tab in the online poker lobby.
- Each is split into sub-panels, and each is only unlocked if the player obtains a certain rewards level.
- the School tab provides comprehensive stats on actual play style, as well as recommendations to improve.
Unibet Online Series Thirteenth Edition Set To Return in September (September 2021)
Top line: “Details surrounding Unibet’s flagship online tournament series, the Unibet Online Series (UOS) XIII, have been revealed ahead of the action starting in mid-September.”
Key takeaways:
- The series will run for the third time this year and will be the second consecutive time that the operator gives it a modest guarantee of €675,000.
- Once again, the Unibet Open Online will play out online as the Main Event with €200,000 guaranteed and an €1100 buy-in.
- The series will run with the now standard, nano, low, mid, and high buy-in levels, sporting a total of 105 events for players to choose from.
- The series will be condensed into a two-week period rather than running for an entire month.
In Conjunction With The International Poker Open, Unibet Set To Make Return To Live Poker (September 2021)
Top line: “Unibet has announced it will be sponsoring The International Poker Open (IPO) — marking the fourth time the online poker room has sponsored the event — as the pair prepare to make their return to the live poker circuit.”
Key takeaways:
- Last year, the IPO had to play entirely online for the first time in its history, due to the restrictions put in place in Ireland and across the globe due to COVID-19.
- This year, the IPO will return to in-person play and will consist of 17 events, including the 2021 Main Event, which will feature an online day one, followed by six starting flights and one re-entry.
- “Supporting grassroots poker is very important to Unibet Poker and there is something uniquely special about the IPO, a tournament steeped in history,” Global Ambassador David Lappin told PRO.
Unibet Adds Anti-Rat Holing Measures, Trials New Table Layout in New Client Update (September 2021)
Top line: “Kindred Group’s independent online poker room Unibet Poker will deploy a new client Tuesday which introduces rathole mitigation measures, adds a new MTT break popup overlay, and trials an all-new table design.”
Key takeaways:
- Version 3.11, expected to deploy later today across platforms in the global dot-com online poker room, is the latest in a string of updates from the operator.
- Earlier this month, community members were invited to participate in a test of the new design, available initially on Windows and Android devices.
- If a player leaves a table with 50 or more big blinds then try to sit down at exactly the same table within 30 minutes, then their minimum buy-in is increased.
Unibet Exits German Online Poker Market Entirely (September 2021)
Top line: “Unibet has become the first operator to pull out of the German online poker market having previously served players following new market regulation.”
Key takeaways:
- Unibet was among the operators to temporarily pull out of the market last year, ahead of the implementation of the new online gambling law.
- It initially limited the poker offering for German customers after the new Glücksspielneuregulierungsstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStV-E) went into effect on July 1. It has now closed all access as of September 21.
- Almost all poker sites that remained active in the German market disabled higher cash game stakes and reduced the SNG offering while keeping MTT’s available.
Unibet Has Retained Almost All its Online Poker Gains From the Pandemic (November 2021)
Top line: “Kindred Group, the parent company of Unibet Poker, has reported £23.6 million in online poker revenue for the first three quarters of 2021, matching almost exactly its revenue from the same period last year.”
Key takeaways:
- In 2020, the online poker industry went through a surge of interest as players across the world were forced to stay in.
- Considering that it is lapping the Coronavirus pandemic, its resilience is impressive.
- Compared to 2019, revenue year-to-date is up more than 50% from £15.5 million.
- There are some regulatory headwinds that Kindred Group and Unibet Poker will have to weather now and into 2022.
Unibet Adds Table Emojis, Refines Layout in Latest Software Update (November 2021)
Top line: “Unibet Poker — the poker product of global gaming giant Kindred Group — is releasing another major software update, this time introducing significant layout improvements on desktop and a unique take on emoji table chat.”
Key takeaways:
- Cards are larger, avatars are smaller, and non-critical elements are removed off the table felt.
- The operator has introduced canned communication in the form of animated avatars and emojis.
- The operator has also revealed the dates for the next two Unibet Online Series.
Unibet Online Series Will Return For The Fourth Time in 2021 (November 2021)
Top line: “The fourteenth edition of the Unibet Online Series (UOS) will kick off in the dot-com market this coming Sunday. It is the fourth time the series has run this year, and with €600,000 in guarantees, it marks the smallest laid on by the operator in 2021.”
Key takeaways:
- Following suit from September’s edition, the guarantee will be spread across 105 events but is the lowest guarantee seen in 2021.
- Buy-ins range from €0.25 to €1,100 in this condensed two-week version of the Unibet Online Series, which first ran as a two-week festival in May of this year.
- In a new twist, leaderboard winners will enter a Sit & Go against three Unibet Ambassadors for tournament tickets worth €1,250.
