PokerStars picks up Portugal licence
Amaya-owned brand to launch pokerstars.pt site “imminently” with poker and casino capability
PokerStars has been awarded a licence to operate its poker and casino platform in the regulated Portuguese market.
The firm becomes the fifth operator to be licensed by the Portuguese regulator SRIJ, and the first for poker.
“We’re happy to receive final approval and look forward to launching imminently,” a PokerStars representative told EGR Intel.
The pokerstars.pt site will initially be running on a closed liquidity pool, but Amaya CEO Rafi Ashkenazi said recently the company was expecting this to move to an expanded pool in the future.
Portuguese regulators have held advanced talks about sharing liquidity with other closed markets like France, Spain and Italy.
PokerStars and Full Tilt withdrew from Portugal in June last year, as the country began operating under its new regulated gambling framework, although the firm always said it planned to return as a licensed company.
Amaya also recently revealed plans to withdraw PokerStars from Australia and launch in India, although the wider future of the company is uncertain, given former CEO David Baazov’s pending £5bn offer for the firm.