PokerStars.com plans to stop losing liquidity on its .com poker platform by allowing players from regulated areas to join again through several ways. The company wants to use the Pragmatic Solutions platform, which lets them support “smaller local licenses,” including in the Dutch market. At a recent town hall attended by many PokerStars staff, Mike Woodbridge, PokerStars CCO, talked about lost players after the company left some regulated countries.

Since 2008, Woodbridge has worked in online gambling and described how leaving the markets caused two losses. First, direct revenue ended when exiting, and second, the remaining player pool declined, hurting revenue again. In poker, the value increases when more people sit at each table, making the site stronger as more join. PokerStars tries to boost liquidity by targeting the Dutch market during a company meeting. Woodbridge shared three possible ways to add liquidity to the .com platform, CasinoNieuws.nl learned from insiders:

• The Flutter UK platform reconnects players from the UK to the global system, just like they did for Italy’s players before.
• Pragmatic Solutions works to serve smaller licensed markets (like the Netherlands), avoiding complex links to PokerStars’ own systems. Pragmatic Solutions clients can quickly join the .com poker network.
• Third parties may link directly to PokerStars, with this setup running already in Switzerland and Belgium (using Circus).

Netherlands Back in Focus for PokerStars Strategy

The second approach draws attention, especially since the Netherlands used to be a key location for PokerStars. Several people at the digital meeting said Woodbridge directly highlighted the Netherlands. PokerStars also placed flags of Germany, Bulgaria, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Romania, and Greece with this Pragmatic Solutions path.

Pragmatic Solutions opens a possible way in for PokerStars By using Pragmatic Solutions as a so-called “intermediate layer,” PokerStars could re-enter smaller regulated locations and reach Dutch players indirectly.

Pragmatic Solutions gives Player Account Management (PAM) technology to different groups and connects to game creator Pragmatic Play. There is no public information about which Dutch companies use Pragmatic Solutions now. No news is out if future license holders in the Netherlands plan to use Pragmatic Solutions’ PAM. In effect, this use of Pragmatic Solutions becomes a skin-based workaround.

Pragmatic Solutions Enables Indirect Access to PokerStars Network

PokerStars is said to have pulled its license application due to failing an integrity check from the Netherlands Gambling Authority. They also pulled Tombola for similar reasons, but this does not stop the skin-based route. The party using Pragmatic Solutions, which links to PokerStars’ .com player network, is a distinct kind of license setup compared to PokerStars (or Flutter) holding a direct license for the Dutch market.

There are no official answers yet about which Dutch firms are, or will be, on Pragmatic Solutions. Both Flutter and Pragmatic have not replied to CasinoNieuws.nl’s questions. It is not expected that PokerStars will reopen in the Netherlands using Unibet, Holland Casino Online, or bet365. These companies either work with their own platforms (Unibet) or use Playtech iPoker (Holland Casino and bet365). GGPoker is available for Dutch users, unlike PokerStars.

Player Demand and Strategic Flexibility Signal Return Plans

PokerStars will more likely make a comeback through a newly licensed online casino. PokerStars was the top poker site in the Netherlands. Before online gambling became legal on October 1, 2021, PokerStars led as the number one poker choice in the Netherlands. The platform was seen as the place to play, known for wide tournaments, user-friendly design, and a large group of international competitors. When new rules on online casinos took effect, PokerStars left the Dutch scene to seek a license. Dutch poker players still notice the absence of PokerStars from legal sites. 

Now the question is, what lies ahead for PokerStars in the Netherlands? PokerStars wants to grow its player pools and stay flexible by using Pragmatic Solutions, showing a goal of bringing regulated markets back to the network. The Netherlands almost surely factors into these plans, based on Woodbridge’s presentation and words. Since the Netherlands took a clear spot in the town hall and was underlined as important, PokerStars may be closer than ever to coming back. When this will happen is still not clear.