PKR launches real-money iPad app

PKR has launched its first real-money poker app for the iPad as part of its plans to create a suite of mobile games.

The app is available as a free download from the Apple App Store, with players able to participate in real-money ring games and Sit & Gos, as well as play the game for free on practice tables. The product is currently available to UK players only, with the introduction of multi-table tournaments and additional features anticipated in the future.

eGaming Review reported in October 2012 that the operator was planning to submit a real-money mobile poker offering to Apple as part of its efforts to enter the mobile gaming market.

Chief operating officer Leon Walters (pictured) said at the time that the company was also planning to make submissions to Apple with regards to real-money blackjack and roulette apps. “Ultimately our goal is to have PKR for real-money in regulated markets and a best in class social/play-for-fun game for the rest of the world,” he said.

While other operators have launched a number of iterations of their own real-money mobile poker apps since bwin became the first to do so in January 2011, PKR’s tradition of 3D poker and complex animations has meant the company has been slower to market.

October last year also saw PKR go live with a 3D mobile blackjack offering available in the iTunes App Store for iPad and iPhone devices. The game features non-poker content from the operator’s flagship offering, and its launch follows the release of a 3D roulette app earlier in the year.

Commenting on the iPad app launch, Walters said: “I’m very pleased to have launched the poker app after several months of hard work by the team. This release represents one of the most significant steps forward for PKR since our inception in 2006.

“We aim to quickly follow this first phase of our efforts to reach the growing mobile poker audience with iPhone and Android versions,” he added.