PokerStars Launches Regulated iPoker Site In Bulgaria

Six months after being awarded an online gaming license in Bulgaria, PokerStars has now become the first operators to launch an officially regulated poker site inside the southeastern European country. Up until last year, PokerStars had found itself placed on Bulgaria infamous black list of unlicensed operators, but after negotiations PokerStars was subsequently granted a gambling license in February this year.
PokerStars already holds government licenses in such European countries as France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, and Belgium, and after adding Bulgaria to the list Eric Hollreiser, the Head of Corporate Communications for PokerStars, said:
“PokerStars strives to be first-in-market when online poker licenses are made available and we’re proud to be the first locally licensed poker site in Bulgaria. We believe in the potential of the Bulgarian market and that is why our company has invested in the local license.”
The latest move gives PokerStars a temporary monopoly on Bulgaria’s market of 7.3 million people, although that situation may change soon as other companies have already expressed interest in the country’s nascent iGaming market, including Betfair which also holds a license but has yet to launch a site.
Another pull for online operators is the fact Bulgaria has followed the example of other countries such as Denmark, Estonia and Belgium in allowing their residents to compete against players from other countries. This is in marked contrasts to markets such as France, Spain, and Italy which have chosen to ring-fence their player pools, instead, ultimately resulting in disappointing revenues.
Operating in the Bulgarian iGaming market also gives PokerStars the opportunity to market some of the country’s top poker players, including Bulgaria’s all time money tournament winner Dimitar Danchev with $3,371,269 in earnings, including victory last year at the PCA $10k Main Event for $1,859,000. Second on the list is WSOP bracelet winner Simeon Naydenov with $1,163,280 in winnings, followed by Atanas Gueorguiev with total career earnings of $1,164,832.
The PokerStars.bg launch also happens to coincide with the launch of the company’s new PokerStars 7 client, which has been termed the biggest update in its 12 year history. Commenting on the software which is currently in its beta version, PokerStars Head of Poker Communications, Lee Jones, said:
“Over the last few years, we have invested countless hours to research, design and develop this new iteration of our flagship software. We believe this release is friendlier for new players and more intuitive and powerful for our veterans. So now we’re inviting our players to test the beta version of the software and help us ensure that it meets the high standards that everyone expects of PokerStars.”