PokerStars are set to dominate the online gambling space in the Czech Republic after becoming the first international player to receive a license to operate in the country.
Thanks to the sterling efforts of Leon Tsoukernik and his team at the King’s Casino, the Czech Republic is arguably the home of live poker in Europe. It’s time this beautiful part of the world had an online operation to match.
In the summer, Czech gaming officials took a tractor to the online gambling landscape when they created a new regulatory system that demanded thorough vetting of all online operators, ending in the issuance of a rather expensive license.
Everything changed on Jan 1, 2017, but Czech officials were a little slow getting their act together, and it wasn’t until the twilight of 2016 that the likes of William Hill picked up their tents and moved out of the country, vowing to return after ticking all the new boxes.
Not everyone left.
In a recent article written by our very own Steven Stradbrooke, he points to an investigation conducted by the Czech branch of Transparency International (TI) that showed some 25 international gaming entities still offering services and taking money from Czech-based nationals. Amongst those cited on the bad boy list were Unibet.
PokerStars Set to Dominate
The name of PokerStars wasn’t on that list, and it never will be, after they became the first international poker & casino operator to receive a new license to do business in the Czech Republic this week.
The Czech State Supervision of Gambling and Lotteries Department has approved Amaya’s application on behalf of their online poker room. The ‘Live Games’ license was handed over on Jan 28, and PokerStars.cz will open their doors in the coming days.
PokerStars was always likely to dominate the market, but the odds have shortened now they become the first legal option. It’s also great news for Czech players to learn that unlike Spain, Italy, France, and Portugal, they will gain access to the globally shared player pool.
The new site opens with a ‘wide range’ of poker games, and the online casino classics, both on desktop and mobile. Amaya Gaming has also applied for a sports betting license for their BetStars brand, and for the approval of a broader variety of online casino games.
PokerStars is the most regulated and licensed online poker room in the world, operating in 17 different ‘jurisdictions.’
