We recently announced plans about the launch of casino games and sports betting on PokerStars and later this month we will begin rolling out blackjack and roulette to customers in select countries. Based on your current country of registration, you will be eligible to play.
As one of our most valued VIPs I want to make sure that you are amongst the first to hear the news.
First I want to share with you some of the thinking behind offering these new games.
The decision to add casino games to the PokerStars client was not taken lightly and is the result of an evaluation process that began in 2013. We thoroughly researched our customers’ reactions to this possibility, analysing the reaction of players who were given the opportunity to play casino games on our sister site Full Tilt and more recently on our Spanish site PokerStars.ES. We found that players generally fall into one of three categories: Supportive, Indifferent or Concerned.
Supportive: Many of our customers already play casino games online and are excited about the possibility of playing on PokerStars. These players like our software and service, trust us to keep their money safe, and like the idea of a single balance for poker and casino play. These customers form a significant segment of our player base and we expect this news to make them happy.
Indifferent: Some players are not interested in playing casino games, but do not mind that we offer them. These customers may be accustomed to the association between poker and casino games from in-person visits to facilities that offer both. These customers will not have much reaction to this news.
Concerned: Some players are concerned. They do not want to play casino or casino games. They may be worried that there will be fewer poker opponents to play if some move to casino. They also may have had bad experiences with other providers frequently delivering unwanted messages and incentives trying to get them to play casino games rather than poker.
We have designed our casino game implementation with each of these groups in mind, but with special sensitivity to the third group of customers. For example, at launch there will be a simple setting in our client that will allow you to remove all casino games if you so desire. In early December, before we begin casino promotion activities, you will also be able to opt out of all casino related communications and promotions.
We launched casino games on PokerStars.es earlier this year giving us some valuable insights into the playing habits of poker players and casino games. We expect that the introduction of casino games for a portion of our uk.pokerstars.com and shared liquidity customers will not result in a significant negative impact on the overall poker economy.
In case you are amongst those interested in trying out our new casino games, look for a special offer around the time of launch that is specially designed to deliver enhanced promotional value for our top VIPs without any hidden or excessively complicated terms. Many PokerStars.es customers have reacted positively to the multi-player approach we have taken with our games. We hope that you do too.
If you do not want to receive the special VIP promotional offer, email me at
vipclub@uk.pokerstars.com to let me know.
I hope you now consider yourself sufficiently informed about this development and in a timely manner. As one of our top VIPs, you deserve to hear the news early and with a little extra detail.
Thank you for your continued play at PokerStars
Gareth Davies
VIP Program Services Manager
PokerStars
Author