PokerStars has announced the opening date of its PokerStars LIVE branded card room in the Italian town of Saint Vincent; Luca Pagano announces details of the Italian Poker Tour Season 7, and Winamax withdraw from the Italian market.
Online poker’s move into the live environment continues with news that PokerStars will open their fourth live card room in the Italian town of Saint Vincent.
A new PokerStars LIVE branded card room will open in the Casino de la Vallee on April 24. A specially organized €100k Guaranteed Mini Italian Poker Tour (IPT) event will be the opener for that little beauty. PokerStars already has branded card rooms in London, Macau, Madrid and Manila.
‘The new PokerStars LIVE room in Saint Vincent aims to become a must-go place for Italy’s poker lover, and also represents the most visible sign of a significant partnership between PokerStars and the Casino de la Vallee.” Said Team PokerStars Pro, Luca Pagano, during a press release announcing details of the seventh season of the IPT.
PokerStars will ensure they get good value out of their new room. Two of the four events that make up the latest season of the IPT will be held there.
Italian Poker Tour Season 7
Mar 10-28 – Malta
July 30-Aug 3 – Saint Vincent
Sep 10-14 – Nova Gorica
Nov 12-16 – Saint Vincent
The IPT event in Malta, which integrates nicely with the European Poker Tour (EPT), has already broken all IPT records after the Main Event attracted 1,285 participants, creating a total prize pool of €1,246,450 with €221,200 reserved for the winner.
PokerStars Are Not Alone
PokerStars are not the only online poker room to see the advantages of setting up shop with a live card room. Dusk till Dawn (DTD) – often partner of PokerStars – has recently rebranded their card room in the livery of partypoker, after the pair agreed a new deal.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has also got into the business. After recently announcing plans to increase their brand exposure on a global scale, the longest serving poker tour in the history of the game, unveiled plans to host a WSOPC event in Italy; hosted their first-ever event in Morocco, and also unveiled plans to open a WSOP branded card room in the Casino Jubilee de Monterrey in Mexico.
Winamax Pull Out of Italy
PokerStars move in, Winamax move out. The French online poker operator has pulled out of the Italian market.
According to European Poker Award (EPA) nominee, Giovanni Angioni, at PokerNews, the French online poker provider has ceased Italian operations with immediate effect.
Although Winamax never had a license to do business in Italy, Italian players were able to open accounts and play on the .fr site. In September, Winamax also pulled out of the UK market after the new 15% Point of Consumption Tax (POC) scared the living hell out of them.
Angioni uncovered a letter written to Winamax’s Italian contingent.
“Because of the Italian legislation on gaming, we can not allow you to access our platform. The funds in your account have been paid into your bank account. We appreciate you have chosen us as a poker room, and our hope is that you have enjoyed playing on Winamax. If the laws of your country regarding online poker will change and will allow you to play on Winamax, we will be happy to again welcome you again. We wish you good luck for the future.”
