Poll results: Stars/Tilt deal most exciting poker news this year
Nine-figure settlement edges out Nevada's first licences in eyes of eGR readership.
PokerStars’ agreement to acquire the assets of Full Tilt Poker in July is the most exciting news to hit the online poker industry this year, according to eGaming Review‘s readers.
The majority of participants (41%) in this week’s poll gave the honour to the US$731m deal, which could bring about the relaunch of FTP as soon as next month and clears the way for both brands to apply for licences in the United States market as it regulates.
One of the most significant steps in the American regulatory process, the issuing of the first egaming licences in Nevada, ran the Stars-Tilt deal close with 35% of the vote.
Two operators and three service providers have been awarded licences by the Nevada Gaming Commission, with Stratosphere owner American Casino and Entertainment Properties and gaming machines manufacturer WMS hoping to join Bally, IGT, Shuffle Master, Monarch Interactive and South Point Poker after seeing their applications approved by the Silver State’s Gaming Control Board last night.
Fewer readers believe two other developments this year has as much of an impact, with fast-fold poker and changes to the network model each receiving 12% of the vote.
While it debuted as long ago as 2010 with Full Tilt Poker’s ‘Rush Poker’ offering, fast-fold only really began to gather pace following the revocation of the operator’s Alderney licences in September last year.
Indeed it was not until this year that the majority of operators and networks brought in their own versions, with the most recent – bwin.party’s Fast Forward – having been taken out of beta just weeks ago.
Meanwhile, 2013 may be the year in which the industry feels the real impact of network segregation and new network rules.
Microgaming’s Network Management Board has only met a handful of times and the network’s new rake allocation method is still young, while not even a week has passed since Playtech initiated a tiered system within its iPoker network, and the early signs suggest we will begin to feel the repercussions in the not-too-distant future.