When European Shared Liquidity Went from Theory to Reality: This Week in Online Poker
Key Takeaways
  • PokerStars goes live with a French-Spanish cross-border shared player pool.
  • Neil Johnson steps down from PokerStars’ live team following the conclusion of the PCA.
  • Live events are queued up in London, Nottingham, Slovakia and Uruguay.

Regulation

Just five days ago, Spain officially authorized shared liquidity, a seemingly innocuous step that launched a chain reaction of industry-changing events. PokerStars went live just 24 hours afterwards with a shared player pool, announcing a major new online tournament series plus an overhaul to its rewards program and weekly schedule. It also surprised everyone by opening up PokerStars.ES registration to international signup.

Italy opened its new tender process, and PokerStars has urged the operator to move forward with European shared liquidity. Meanwhile, Winamax waits patiently for its authorization to compete in the new marketplace.