PokerStars will join the Betfair platform in the UK from August 13 as Flutter Entertainment begins a wider restructuring of its poker operations. The move aims to increase liquidity and create larger player pools across the company’s poker brands.
Under the new model, the brand will operate in the UK as PokerStars on Betfair, while customers will continue using PokerStars software and accessing its global player pool.
UK Players Keep Access to PokerStars Tournaments
Despite the platform change, UK players will retain access to major PokerStars events, including the Sunday Million, SCOOP, and WCOOP. They will also continue to participate in Spin & Go tournaments and qualification events for the European Poker Tour.
Furthermore, Paddy Power Poker and Sky Poker are expected to adopt PokerStars software in the coming months. As a result, Flutter aims to further increase liquidity across its global poker network.
Flutter Targets Larger Poker Player Pools
PokerStars Chief Commercial Officer Mike Woodbridge said the restructuring responds to increasing fragmentation across the global poker market.
According to Woodbridge, different regulatory requirements have divided the market, resulting in smaller tournament fields and reduced prize pools. Therefore, Flutter is shifting toward a shared-liquidity model designed to bring more players together and strengthen participation.
The company has already used similar approaches in Italy through partnerships with Sisal and SNAI, as well as in North America with FanDuel.
Betfair and PokerStars Create Broader Offering
The shared-liquidity model connects players across Flutter’s poker brands, allowing the company to build larger pools and potentially offer bigger tournament fields.
Kim Daly, Managing Director at Betfair, described the integration as an important development, highlighting the opportunity to combine PokerStars’ poker offering with Betfair’s sports betting and casino products.
The move could therefore create a broader entertainment platform for UK customers, bringing poker, sports betting, and casino gaming together under the Betfair ecosystem.
UK Poker Operations Move to New Platform
From August 13, Betfair Poker customers will access poker through PokerStars on Betfair. Meanwhile, customers outside the UK will continue using the existing PokerStars platform.
For Flutter Entertainment, the restructuring represents a broader effort to consolidate liquidity, strengthen player pools, and adapt its poker brands to an increasingly fragmented regulated market.
