Best of PRO This Week: Austrian Court Case, Unibet's New Software, Adjara's Growth and PokerStars 7

Lead Features

Austrian Supreme Court Puts CJEU on the Spot Over National Gambling Monopolies

Gambler demands €950k of gambling losses be returned because the online operator did not have an Austrian gaming license. The Austrian Supreme Court, Oberste Gerichtshof, has handed a hot potato of a legal decision to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), an issue that demands an explicit ruling on whether “gray” market operators in nationally regulated EU markets are acting legally.

Software Snapshots: Unibet’s New Poker Client

An exclusive look at Unibet’s all-new online poker software.

Exclusive News Articles

Unibet’s New Independent Room to Launch Next Week

Public beta test will run alongside MPN poker room. Unibet has announced that it will launch its new online poker client next Wednesday, February 19.

Winamax and PokerStars France Go Heads Up for MTT Success

Both sites are offering French players a flagship €1m guaranteed Main Event. The market leaders in French regulated poker, Winamax and PokerStars France, are going head to head by programming major online tournament series at the same time.

More Players Invited to Alpha-Test PokerStars 7

Over two years in the making, there’s still progress going on behind the scenes on the long-awaited lobby redesign. Although the PokerStars 7 client has not made headlines much since it was first revealed way back in 2010, progress is still going on behind the scenes, and more players are being invited to test it out for real money.

Despite Cashier Difficulties, Adjarabet Traffic Continues to Climb

Processor problems hold back its international expansion plans, but it has not stopped strong seasonal growth. Traffic at the Georgian Adjarabet continues to climb, despite problems with both deposits and withdrawals for international customers.

Following Sunday Success, partypoker New Jersey Announces Special Doubled $100k Guarantee

The usual $50k guarantee will be doubled on March 2 following a successful change to its Sunday structure. On the back of a guarantee-smashing $50k Sunday Guarantee on its New Jersey online poker room, partypoker has announced a special double guarantee tournament at the beginning of March.

Players Help Promote UP’s “NO-verlay” Promotion

An interesting aspect of Ultimate Poker’s innovative new MTT promotion is the way players are now incentivized to encourage others to play, reversing the normal behavior when guaranteed tournaments run with overlays.

OFC Upstart TonyBet Adds Pro, Launches SNG Freeroll Promo

The latest real money online poker debutant TonyBet has been ramping up its promotion, with the signing of its first pro and a new sit and go freeroll. The poker room exclusively deals Open Face Chinese Poker (OFC).

Players Protest 40bb Minimum at new Zoom-Only Stakes

A surprisingly active petition has been coordinated by the high stakes community over a change in the minimum buyin following a switch to Zoom-only tables.

888 Retains January Growth

888poker has solidified its second place position with strong 2014 start. 888poker has retained much of its traffic spurt experienced at the beginning of the year, and now commands a 15% lead on its next largest competitor, iPoker.

WSOP “Game of the Day” Returns for February

Double VIP points for playing the chosen game and stake. WSOP is again running its “Game of the Day” promotion in February in both its Nevada and New Jersey online poker rooms.

UKGC Updates Gambling Bill FAQ

Some of the updated answers remain vague as final decisions have not yet been taken. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has updated the FAQ it first produced in October last year. It has now formalized the decision to operate a transitional process for poker operators currently authorized under the whitelist system.

ARJEL Blames Poker’s Decline on Fewer High Volume Players

ARJEL analysis shows where the 23% decline in cash game poker is happening. The headline online poker figures from ARJEL’s final report of 2013 made for dismal reading with another 23% fall in cash game poker. The recently-published analysis of those numbers gives some context to the decline.

Ultimate Poker NJ Announces Aggressive “NO-verlay” MTT Promo

Ultimate Poker has launched an aggressive month-long multi-table tournament promotion, dubbed “NO-verlay,” on its New Jersey online poker room.

Seals with Clubs Recovers After Devastating DDoS Attack

Traffic rebounds after extended service disruption at Bitcoin poker room. Traffic at Bitcoin-exclusive upstart Seals with Clubs has rebounded following a prolonged service failure that made the poker room inaccessible for over 48 hours.

Best of PRO This Week: Austrian Court Case, Unibet’s New Software, Adjara’s Growth and PokerStars 7