- Spanish Regulator: Online Poker Players Play Longer, Find it Easier to Quit.
- The Developing Art of Overlay Management.
Lead Features
Spanish Regulator: Online Poker Players Play Longer, Find it Easier to Quit
16% of online poker players play every day, but their risk of problem gambling compares favorably with other regulated gambling activities. The Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) has released its third report into the protection of online gamblers. The report exhaustively analyses information of interest, not just to specialists in problem gambling.
The Developing Art of Overlay Management
The management of potential overlays that result from tournament guarantees has given rise to a range of solutions as poker rooms try to mitigate risk while maintaining their marketing appeal. The concept of an overlay is both an anathema and promotional device for poker rooms—managing overlays has become a marketing fine art.
Regular Weekly Columns
Checking Around
In our industry-focused picks from the discussion forums this week: New Jersey’s new championship, Bitcoin bumps, optimistic obligations, and a thread that just won’t die.
Traffic Watch
Pokerfuse PRO’s exclusive review of the online poker market across international, US and regulated European markets.
The Deal
Promotional highlights of the week, including PokerStars, Full Tilt, 888poker New Jersey, Bovada, Borgata Poker and Everest Poker.
Regulation in Review: US
A review of the latest developments in gaming regulation in the US. This week: New Jersey, Kentucky, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Regulation in Review: Europe and Beyond
A weekly review of the latest developments in gaming regulation outside the US. This week: The EU, UK, Netherlands, Spain, Bulgaria, Malta, Mexico and Bermuda.
Exclusive News Articles
French-Regulated Turbo Poker Seeks International Players
Skin on iPoker France follows in Winamax’s footsteps, looks to expand player base. Turbo Poker, a skin on iPoker’s French-regulated network, has begun advertising on Pocket Fives in a bid to expand outside the French market.
New Jersey Market Drops Back to 2013 Levels
Average concurrent cash game players dips below the 500 mark. The combined number of concurrent players across the regulated New Jersey markets has dipped below 500, the first time since it crossed that milestone on January 1, 2014.
PokerStars Rep Fields Community Questions
Steve Day hosts “ask me anything” threads on 2+2 and PokerStrategy. Steve Day, PokerStars’ Head of VIP, Cash Games and Sit & Gos, ran a Q&A session Saturday on both the German PokerStrategy forums and 2+2.
Party, Borgata Seek Feedback on NJCOP Schedule
Posters on 2+2 and PocketFives critique the tentative April plan. Representatives on the two skins on PartyPoker New Jersey are seeking feedback from the poker player community on its draft schedule for the New Jersey Championship of Online Poker, set to run in mid-April.
Traffic at the Company Level: 888 Holdings, Playtech and bwin.party Neck and Neck
The three are within 5% of cash game traffic across all the networks they control. Partypoker’s recovery of its fourth place cash game traffic ranking for its dot-com network is surely something its executives will cheer, but it still lags well behind rivals iPoker and 888poker.
A Trip to Dublin Forms the Incentive for Bovada’s St Patrick’s Day Promotion
Bovada’s latest deal continues the trend of poker rooms offering lottery style promotions. Bovada is celebrating St Patrick’s Day with a promotion that offers a $5k vacation in Dublin. The prize will be awarded in a random draw for which players can earn tickets.
MPN Traffic Suffers with Big Brand Departure
The loss of Unibet has caused a substantial decline in cash game traffic, but if the past is any indication of the future, MPN should bounce back. Since Microgaming rebranded its online poker network to MPN over a year ago, it has innovated, recruited new skins and added social features attractive to the recreational player.
Problem Gambling the Focus of Latest Dutch Gaming Bill Draft
Remote Gambling Act to introduce Dutch national regulation of online gaming submitted to EU for approval. The latest text of the Dutch Remote Gambling Act emphasizes measures to tackle the issue of problem gambling. The bill has now been sent to the EU Commission for approval before it returns to the Netherlands in three months.
FTOPS XXV Continues to Innovate Despite Lower Guarantees
Side promotions targeting recreational players are balanced by the chance to gain Black Card Pro sponsorship. The Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) returns in its twenty fifth incarnation with the first events on March 30 and a total of 31 events to be completed by April 13th. This Spring FTOPS brings $6 million in guaranteed prize money, and a number of innovations.
Bovada Targets Facebook Users with Contender Series Freeroll
More tournament tickets in freeroll in exchange for likes on Facebook. US-facing online poker room Bovada is encouraging players to expand the prize pool of its Contender Series Freeroll by engaging the company on Facebook and liking its page.
Partypoker Regains Fourth Place After Full Tilt Declines
Last time it lost its 4th place spot Full Tilt responded with a “Big Bonus” promotion, this time it may rely on FTOPS to regain its position. Partypoker is back in fourth place in the cash game traffic rankings, pushing Full Tilt into fifth. Apart from a brief period in October, partypoker has been behind Full Tilt since April last year.
PokerStars Extends Lottery-Style Promotions with “All-in Madness” Offer to Spanish Players
Lottery-style promotions do not encourage extra play, so satisfy regulators’ desires to avoid increasing the risk of problem gambling. PokerStars Spain’s All-in Madness promotion offers players who make a deposit free tickets to one of its All-in Shootout tournaments. Between March 5 and 15, the site will distribute €5,000 a day, for a total giveaway of €50k.