In this column we deliver you the latest and most interesting online poker industry news from across the world and all platforms.
Virtue Poker ready for real-money launch in May
Phil Ivey has been seen with Virtue Poker patches for over three years now – a poker site that didn’t exist. But it looks like this will change in May of this year.
Virtue Poker is a blockchain poker project that has been fairly long in the making. Any crypto-related poker projects have seen interest in the past, but it always seemed like no one really knew how to do this properly. Virtue Poker will be a decentralized online poker platform where players fund their own bankroll wallets independently and will retain control over those virtual funds that are not in play. Especially people that have seen the Full Tilt drama, where the company spent and lost their customers’ money, will appreciate that this set-up removes any potential threat of corporate theft or loss.
Virtue Poker is also licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, which makes it the first licensed site of this kind.
“After years of consultation, in-person meetings, and effort, [we] can proudly say we are the only licensed blockchain-based poker application in the market,” CEO Ryan Gittleson said. “By working with regulators to become a licensed online gambling company, Virtue Poker now has legitimacy to crossover and compete for customers from legacy providers to bring blockchain-based wagering mainstream.”
Phil Ivey is and stays the face of this project. He is one of many poker people, such as Dan Coleman and Dan Smith, that have stakes in this project.
“I’ve been working with the Virtue Poker team for nearly three years, watching them build a next-generation poker platform,” Ivey said. “Using a blockchain-based system creates a more secure and globally accessible payment system. I’m excited to continue my partnership with the Virtue Poker team and work to bring the platform to poker communities worldwide.”
EvenBet Gaming launch poker software
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) seems to be in a good mood and handing out licenses to many new exciting projects. One of the latest announcements about being licensed comes from EvenBet Gaming. This casino game designer is now moving into poker and has created a poker software that can be used by anyone to build their poker site on top of it. It will basically be a plug and play option for any entrepreneurs that want to build a poker site. Casino sites have been using this principle for many years, so why not poker sites? It will all come down to the unique selling points and branding of the operators and so it could be interesting what kind of sites will pop up.
A big issue is probably going to be liquidity as this project doesn’t seem to be working as a network, but you rather need to have the players playing on your specific site. This works fine for casinos, but in order to have poker games running at all time, you need a lot of players to actually frequent your site.
Unibet: Rewards program for players on a downswing
The GG Network decided to give back to players that received Bad Beats, they call it GGCare. Unibet now announced a rewards program called Replay Rewards where they give back to those that are going through a downswing.
An algorithm decides which 200 players each week had the most severe downswings and they will be eligible to complete some specific missions. €15,000 per week will be available to be won by these players until the end of the year.
Downswings are part of poker and every player has to endure them. If a rewards system will prepare players for this inevitable fact is more than doubtful. But at least in the short run it will help players to get back on their feet and continue playing.
888poker: New leaderboards for Blast
888poker seems to be putting some focus on their Jackpot Sit & Go product Blast. We just heard about their $1 million spin that has been won by a fortunate player. Now, 888poker announced leaderboards for this feature. So, even if you don’t win a million in a single game, your efforts can still be rewarded by placing high up on one of the leaderboards.
There is a total of $5,000 to be won across all Blast leaderboards between 16th April and 13th June. Players need to opt in before their points are counted. Once they have done this, they can be part of the leaderboards. Only the first ten results count, however, so players need to perform well right from the start.
The prizes are awarded as tournament tickets, casino FreePlay, sports Free Bet, cash and bonuses.
