European regulators invite other countries to join shared poker liquidity network

Regulators from France, Portugal and Spain have invited other EU and EEA member states to join the shared online poker liquidity network after positive early returns from the compact.

The three regulators confirmed their “general satisfaction” with the deal, signed in July 2017, indicating their willingness to allow other members to sign on.

However, the regulators qualified this statement, adding that only jurisdictions with an “equivalent level” of regulatory protection to current standards could join the agreement.

Regulators in all four countries confirmed improvements in their respective markets following the introduction of the compact.

In the third quarter of 2018, Spanish online poker revenues jumped 35% to €19.8m (£17.4m), while rises have also been reported in the French and Portuguese markets.

Italy had also been set to join the agreement, however concerns were raised in December 2017 about the potential for money-laundering across the jurisdictions. It had been expected to join the market in the second quarter of 2018 following the Italian elections, but has still not done so.

All three asserted there had been no “significant incidents” in implementing the shared poker liquidity agreement in any of the three jurisdictions.

The regulators confirmed that players had clearly favoured shared liquidity poker tables or tournaments rather than tables offered solely in their own markets.