Pokerstars Back In The Netherlands In 2022

As of October 2021, Pokerstars is no longer available in the Netherlands, but if it's up to Flutter, the poker site will be available again in 2022. Flutter is the parent company of Pokerstars and also manages Paddy Power, Betfair, and other betting sites. The loss of the Dutch market is costing the company around 50 million and that is why Flutter is aiming for a quick return in our country.

Loss of 50 million estimated

Simultaneously with the launch of the first gambling sites, the KSA warned unlicensed gambling sites of higher fines. Also, companies that did target Dutch players would be cutting themselves off because of a longer cooling-off period. Pokerstars heeded the KSA's call and left the Dutch market. A hard laugh for the fans of online poker in the Netherlands because Pokerstars has been the largest poker site for a long time. With the departure from the Netherlands, Pokerstars suffers a loss of $10 million in the last quarter of 2021. Thereby, the losses in 2022 are estimated at $40 million. Still, the company is holding out hope and they indicate they will return to the Netherlands next year.

They expect to go online in the third quarter of 2022. This means that the poker company needs to apply for a license in the first quarter. There is a lead time of six months before the license is issued. This means that Pokerstars will have to invest a lot of money to attract players to the Netherlands again.

How will Pokerstars return to the Netherlands?

There are still a lot of questions about the possible return of Pokerstars in the Netherlands. Will there be a Pokerstars Casino and sportsbook besides poker is one of the most frequently asked questions at this moment. The Remote Gaming Act also states that gambling sites may not reactivate their previously (illegal) customer base once they get a license. This means that Pokerstars has to start all over again.

Now there will be a lot of Dutch poker players who want to return to Pokerstars. Still, for the poker company it is a challenge and a big expense to get all these players playing again. That also has to do with the fact that competitors GGPoker, Holland Casino and Bet365 want to fill the gap of Pokerstars as of October 2021 in the Netherlands. So there is a big chance that Pokerstars will lose some of its players to these parties.

Not only the Netherlands cause declining numbers

Not only the departure of Pokerstars is the cause of the declining profit expectations at Flutter. There are also legislative changes and declining revenue in Germany. The gaming market at Flutter fell 6% while sportsbook revenue fell 14%. When you exclude the German market these markets show an increase of 6%.

Still, the Dutch market is an example of Flutter and especially Pokerstars. The online poker site is active in several "grey" countries. By this, they mean countries where the site is not officially allowed but is still somewhat tolerated. There comes a time when the government raises the alarm. In the Netherlands that happened in September and that causes Pokerstars to no longer be available here as of October 1. For years it has been able to benefit from Dutch players and they contribute to the cash flow of the company. Now, the Netherlands alone is responsible for a loss of 50 million and it remains to be seen how many players will return to the online poker site.

Is Pokerstars Netherlands the only poker site applying for a license in 2022?

Of course, there are only 10 companies that have a license from the KSA to offer games of chance in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, it is expected that in 2022 a number of gambling sites will be added where you can legally gamble online. This is of course Pokerstars Netherlands, but also a number of competitors will apply for a license.

Chances are that Jack's Casino, Bwin, Governor of Poker, and Unibet will apply for a license in the first quarter of 2022. Now, these clubs are already operating in India, allowing you to learn about Internet security and the importance of the right password. In addition, 888 can't wait to be active in the Netherlands again and we secretly expect Partypoker as well. Pokerstars is in any case eager for a license but will not be the only online casino in the Netherlands that will launch in 2022.