Microgaming To Help Improve PokerStars Casino Product

PokerStars has announced a strategic partnership with Microgaming in order to bring a whole range of complimentary products to its online casino games offering. Amongst the digital slots that are likely to be featured on PokerStars’ casino client by the summer of 2017 are such popular games as Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, and Game of Thrones.
The world biggest online poker operator, PokerStars, introduced real money poker games in December 2001, but by 2014 the company had followed a general trend in the industry by diversifying into casino games and then sports betting. At the time, the move created a negative backlash from its legion of poker-oriented players, including Victoria Coren Mitchell who subsequently resigned from Team PokerStars Pro in protest.
Nevertheless, Amaya seems to have been vindicated in its business decision, and in Q3 of 2016, the company’s revenues grew by 9.5% to $270.8 million compared to the same quarter in 2015, with its casino and sportsbook vertical growing from 15% to 24% of the operator’s total revenues over the same period of time. Furthermore, Amaya is anticipating record revenues of up to $1.158 billion for 2016 when its results are released in the coming weeks.
The argument towards diversification is further supported by the fact that online poker appears to have shown little growth over the past few years, while online casino games and sports betting have both experienced more immediate impressive growth. One example is provided by New Jersey in the USA, with Eilers & Krejcik having forecast a 17% growth in the state’s online gambling revenues for 2017, but a 6% decline in its online poker market.
PokerStars has partnered with the Resorts Casino to offer online gambling in the Garden State, but while they are the busiest of the three operators offering iPoker products, they are currently in last position as far as online slots and table games are concerned. Utilizing Microgaming software in the future may therefore also help PokerStars improve its overall standing in the New Jersey market.