Why PokerStars 200 Billion Hands Achievement is More About the Online Poker Industry than You Think

PokerStars has yet again claimed its throne as the world’s largest online poker platform this year as it becomes the first online poker room ever to deal more than 200 billion hands. The company’s online poker room came onto the internet in 2001 and in 2013, dealt its 100 billionth hand. Within six years, PokerStars made history by doubling this figure.

PokerStars is celebrating reaching 200 billion hands by thanking their players and giving them a chance to earn a variety of prizes. “Two hundred billion is truly a stellar figure. It’s almost inconceivable,” remarked Séverin Rasset, Director of Poker Innovation and Operations at The Stars Group. He further added how they have been anticipating to achieve this milestone for a long time. Talking about the celebration prizes that amount to more than two million dollars, he said it has been their privilege to give back to every PokerStars player that has made this happen through the 200 billion celebrations’ games and pots.

The company is very excited about this accomplishment and is already working towards achieving the next milestone. PokerStars’ 200 billion hands achievement is not only a historic moment for PokerStars, but for the online poker industry as well. Online poker has shown tremendous growth and is already considered as a mind sport by the International Mind Sports Association. PokerStars extensive portfolio of games and promotions, serves the online global poker community by attracting daily traffic of more than a hundred thousand players.

Many factors have contributed to the success of the online poker industry, but none have made an impact as the “Moneymaker Effect”. Chris Moneymaker’s rise to fame and fortune by winning the World Series of Poker changed the perception of poker from being a game of luck, to a true discipline of the mind. In fact, modern poker is played by young, college-educated and intelligent people who employ strategy, statistics and a controlled game.

Virtual Reality technology is predicted to attract more consumers

In 2014, global online gaming revenue exceeded thirty billion dollars and formed nine percent of all gaming revenue worldwide. These figures have rapidly changed since then and online gaming has taken a front seat in the gaming market. A report by Technavio predicts that the online gaming market size in the US alone will exceed four billion dollars between 2016-2020, and a report by Juniper research estimates that nearly one trillion dollars will be spent by consumers globally in the online gaming industry by 2021. Much of the online gaming industry’s success is attributed to mobile phones. Technological innovations such as VR (Virtual Reality), are predicted to attract more consumers to the online gaming space as they provide a stimulus to the already well-established online casino sector.

The rising trend of online gaming globally is also leading to some important law reformations. Some U.S. states are looking forward to introducing bills related to online poker this year. During the previous year, some countries in the European Union came together to share the poker space, which is expected to lead to exponential market growth. Moreover, the possibility of Switzerland and Sweden opening their markets to licensing can provoke solid market growth. Recent trends shed light on how poker is not just a game for western countries, but is on a high rise in Asian countries as well. The proliferation of online poker sites in the Indian online gaming sphere has led poker websites to rake in revenues of up to a hundred fifty million dollars per year. Meanwhile, Macau has overtaken Las Vegas and is now considered the new gaming capital of the world.

Therefore, PokerStars; historical achievement does not only coincide with a rapidly booming online poker industry, but is a direct result of it. The reception of poker in the online community is a major sign of poker being accepted as a legitimate sport. More and more people are considering playing poker as a full-time profession. Therefore, it can be said without a doubt that technology has had a great impact on the online poker industry. The fruits of technological advancements can be seen in the high rates of participation and economic gains in the online gaming sphere.