PokerStars Launches Global Poker Network For B2B Partners
Flutter Entertainment’s PokerStars is expanding beyond its standalone consumer offering to provide external partners with access to its poker network, technology and player liquidity.
PokerStars has opened its poker platform to external business partners, transforming its standalone services into a global network offering B2B solutions.
The Flutter Entertainment-owned brand will operate as the PokerStars Network, providing partners with access to its player liquidity, proprietary technology, tournament portfolio and player protection systems.
The network combines PokerStars’ presence across 12 licensed jurisdictions and 130 markets. The company said the platform has access to a liquidity pool of more than three million players.
The expansion will allow external partners to integrate with the PokerStars Network and access its poker infrastructure, tournament products and established brand.
PokerStars is expected to present its network proposition to potential partners at the upcoming SBC Summit Lisbon.
PokerStars Consolidates Its Poker Operations
The launch follows Flutter Entertainment’s consolidation of its poker operations around the PokerStars platform between 2025 and 2026.
As part of the transition, players from Betfair and Paddy Power in the UK and Ireland, FanDuel in the US and Sisal in Italy were migrated to the network.
The changes represent a significant shift in PokerStars’ operating model since its launch as a standalone online poker room in 2001.
The brand will continue to serve consumers while also providing a shared technology and liquidity platform for Flutter-owned brands and external partners.
PokerStars became part of Flutter’s portfolio through the 2019 merger between Paddy Power Betfair and The Stars Group, which owned PokerStars and Sky Bet. The merger was completed in May 2020 and valued at approximately $9bn.
Since then, PokerStars has faced increased competition from operators including GGPoker, which has expanded through tournament guarantees, ambassador agreements and partnerships with regional poker brands.
The growth of locally regulated markets has also affected online poker liquidity. Ring-fencing requirements and restrictions on cross-border player pooling have limited the ability of operators to combine players across jurisdictions.
PokerStars Opens Tournament Portfolio To Partners
The PokerStars Network will provide access to several of the brand’s established tournament and poker products.
These include the Sunday Million, Sunday Storm, Spin & Go, Zoom, the Spring Championship of Online Poker and the World Championship of Online Poker.
The expansion places PokerStars in competition with established shared-liquidity networks, including Playtech’s iPoker and Entain’s PartyPoker Network.
PokerStars is positioning the combination of its scale, proprietary technology and tournament portfolio as part of its proposition to prospective partners.
The network model also gives the company an opportunity to extend the use of its poker infrastructure beyond Flutter’s existing brands.
B2B Expansion Comes Amid Competitive Pressure
PokerStars’ move into B2B services follows a period of changes in the online poker market, including increased competition and the fragmentation of player liquidity across regulated jurisdictions.
The company’s future performance as a network provider will depend partly on its ability to attract external operators and demonstrate the commercial value of shared technology and liquidity.
Some gambling operators have reduced the strategic importance of poker within their wider offerings, creating additional considerations for PokerStars as it seeks to expand its B2B proposition.
The launch marks a change in the role of PokerStars within Flutter Entertainment, with the brand now positioned to provide infrastructure and services to external partners alongside its consumer-facing activities.
