Portugal Prepared for its Share of Liquidity from First International Pool
Published February 13, 2018 by Lee R
Italy is the only remaining member of the Founding Four left to join.
In a promising development in a hot topic for iGaming, Portugal has gained jurisdiction approval for participation in shared liquidity with neighbouring countries in Europe.
Un-ringing the Fence
The Portuguese Gambling Regulatory Authority (SRIJ) announced that it has approved a resolution to authorise shared poker liquidity with other participation countries.
The ringed fence officially dropped in July, when regulators from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal signed off on permissions for operators they share to merge player pools across the borders of each country.
As it Stands
France and Spain are already participating in shared pools; with the new approval, Portugal has officially caught up, and can start working with its two European neighbours on perfecting the technology and regulation behind the shared player pool model.
SRIJ Reacts
The SRIJ trumpeted the official launch of shared liquidity by announcing by explaining of the permission for poker games to benefit from shared liquidity that:
“For players and operators, this enables all the control and reporting guarantees required for a secure and responsible gambling experience.”
The SRIJ touched upon the further ramifications of shared pools, referencing tables and tournaments involving players from Portugal, Spain, France and Italy
Awaiting the Boot
The Portugal approval leaves Italy as the sole country left to draft the legislation necessary to join the pool.
Sharing Begins
The shared pools were initially implemented last month when operator PokerStars offered the first shared player pool amongst poker players from France and Spain.
At the time of the launch, Stars Group chief operating officer Guy Templer celebrated the newly combined liquidity as a way for players from France and Spain to access “a larger player pool with bigger prizes, promotions and a better selection of games, all with the confidence provided by a trusted, licensed operator.”
These benefits are about to be enjoyed by players from Portugal, and hopefully Italy sooner than later.
Outlook
Italy may be more motivated to speed the bureaucratic process if the benefits to both players and participating countries can be clearly achieved and indicated. The addition of Portugal will make the new three-team model more diverse and go a long way towards demonstrating the adaptability of the current shared pool model in place now to between Spain and France and now to be diversified for the first time by Portugal.
