The newly launched PokerStars Network has expanded, with another brand joining the platform. Irish gambling giant Paddy Power is the latest to make the move, as first reported by Poker Industry PRO.
This becomes the second sister brand of PokerStars to join the operator’s global online poker network in less than three months, following Betfair’s transition in August.
The migration happened quietly on Wednesday, October 28, although players were notified by the operator a day before. It gives Paddy Power players access to PokerStars’ shared player pool while adding another established brand to the network as Flutter works to bring its online poker operations under one roof.
The addition of Paddy Power and Betfair should provide a modest boost to PokerStars’ online poker traffic, with players from both brands now sharing the tables with the red spade giant. It comes at a time when PokerStars has seen its player numbers decline over the years due to several factors, including exits from multiple grey markets, increased competition, and the rise of crypto poker platforms.
The move is part of Flutter’s plan to consolidate PokerStars, Paddy Power, Betfair, and Sky Poker on a single online poker network. The existing PokerStars UK platform shut down earlier this month, with its players migrating to Betfair, now operating as PokerStars on Betfair. Paddy Power’s migration marks another step in that process, leaving Sky Poker as the only remaining Flutter brand on iPoker.
Could More Brands Join PokerStars?
While the immediate expansion involves Flutter-owned operators, PokerStars has much bigger ambitions for its network. The company is looking to bring in third-party operators through a B2B arrangement, potentially extending its shared player pool well beyond Flutter’s existing brands.
Through the newly launched PokerStarsNetwork.com, the red spade giant is inviting external partners to access its software, shared player liquidity, tournament products, and game integrity infrastructure. Operators can retain their own branding through white-label arrangements or explore partnerships that bring the PokerStars brand into their markets.
PokerStars has already demonstrated this model in Italy, where Sisal and Snai joined its network, allowing players across the three brands to share liquidity while retaining their separate identities. Paddy Power and Betfair are the latest examples of this arrangement, with both operators maintaining their own branding while accessing PokerStars’ shared player pool. The same model could now be extended to operators outside Flutter as PokerStars looks to expand its B2B business
Bringing more operators onto the network would give PokerStars another route to growing its traffic without relying entirely on its own customer acquisition. It could also appeal to established gambling companies looking to add online poker to their offering without having to build and maintain their own software and player network.
The potential expansion also puts PokerStars in a position to compete for third-party B2B partnerships in a market where operators have traditionally relied on providers such as iPoker and GGPoker for their online poker platforms.
Sky Poker Still to Come
The migration of Sky Poker is the last outstanding move in Flutter’s consolidation plans. The brand continues to operate on iPoker, but is also expected to join PokerStars, potentially in the coming days.
Once that happens, PokerStars will have brought all four Flutter brands onto a shared network, combining their player bases under a single platform while retaining separate identities for each operator.
For PokerStars, the addition of Paddy Power and Betfair provides an initial increase in the number of brands contributing to its traffic. Whether the network eventually opens its doors to operators outside Flutter could determine how much further it can expand.
