The British online poker operator, Sky Poker, is shutting down its independent platform and, surprisingly, joining the iPoker network. This decision is particularly unexpected since Sky Poker is owned by Flutter Entertainment, the parent company of PokerStars. Despite operating for nearly two decades, the room will not move to the Stars platform but rather to a rival network. The transition is set to take place in May 2025.
Many assumed that Sky Poker would eventually merge with PokerStars, yet this has not happened for years.
The decision may be driven by iPoker’s flexible operational model. It is likely that Flutter considered Sky Poker too valuable a brand to simply shut down and migrate its players to PokerStars. As PokerStars is not a network, maintaining Sky Poker’s unique identity and offerings would have been more challenging there.
iPoker’s network model allows its partners to run exclusive promotions and private tables, which is crucial for Sky Poker, a brand known for its unique tournaments and promotional campaigns.
This is not the first time that PokerStars’ parent company has strengthened a rival network. Two of iPoker’s most prominent skins, Betfair Poker and Paddy Power Poker, are also owned by Flutter.
The plan to migrate Sky Poker to PokerStars was first announced in 2018, after Flutter (then known as The Stars Group) acquired Sky Betting & Gaming. The migration was initially scheduled for early 2020, but the 2019 merger between Paddy Power-Betfair and The Stars Group pushed the project to the background.
PokerStars once dominated the online poker market, but in recent years, it has lost ground, partly due to exiting several gray markets. Meanwhile, iPoker has steadily gained strength, providing a stable and increasingly attractive alternative for independent operators.
The move may also reflect Flutter’s strategy to diversify its poker portfolio rather than relying solely on PokerStars.
The global poker market is constantly evolving, leading to more frequent migrations. Betclic recently left iPoker to establish an independent French network, while PMU Poker moved from PartyPoker Europe to iPoker Europe. With the ongoing shifts in market dynamics, flexibility has become a key factor for poker operators.
The migration of Sky Poker is therefore not just a technical change but a significant shift in Flutter’s long-term poker strategy.
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