by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Feb 14, 2012 | Updated on Feb 14, 2012
European poker players will soon have a new option for playing at the world’s largest online poker site, as PokerStars announced that they have received a Malta Remote Gaming License that will allow the company to launch PokerStars.eu.For PokerStars, this license and branding will allow them to create a site that is clearly targeted at the European poker market at large – particularly at countries that do not have national regulatory and licensing frameworks in place.But the most significant winner in this move may very well be the players in several European countries. One of the immediate effects of the move will be to allow players in Sweden and Finland the chance to play in a tax-free environment, something that’s only possible on a site that is regulated within the European Union.“Some markets treat European Union-licensed operators differently than other license-holders,” said Guy Templer, PokerStars’ head of business development. “Offering our online poker on www.pokerstars.eu with a Maltese license provides benefits to players in Sweden and Finland in particular and we are always striving to offer the best product possible to our players, wherever they are located.”While the site name will be different, players aren’t likely to notice anything different when they play on PokerStars.eu. The site will use the same exact software as PokerStars.com, and the player pools will be shared between the two sites.In making the announcement, PokerStars also pointed out that this move was necessary because of the current nature of online gambling regulations, where different countries may have wildly varying regulations. More uniformity, they said, would help both poker sites and their players feel more confident about the future of the poker market.“We were happy to see the recent reports that , Italy and Spain are discussing regulatory cooperation and shared liquidity,” wrote Eric Hollreiser, Head of Corporate Communications for PokerStars. 2x6e15
