PokerStars has managed to grab 70 percent of Italy’s online poker market, averaging 1,300 cash game players on the site over a 7-day period according to PokerScout.
Since introducing casino games in May, including blackjack, roulette, and slots, PokerStars has also captured a small 2.58 percent share of the country’s online gambling market, as well, according to olinepokerrepot.com. PokerStars could see that number increase after a planned introduction of sports betting to the site’s gambling mix.
The gains come as the Italian market has struggled. In September 2015, for instance, Italy’s iPoker tournament market experienced a 17 percent fall in net revenues to €5.3 million, compared to the €6.4 million generated in the same month in 2014. Similarly, the country’s poker cash game market also reported a 20 percent drop in net revenues to €6.5 million from the €8.2 million reported for September 2014, according to onlinepokerreport.
On the other hand, online casino games noted a 37.3 percent improvement during September, while online sports also posted a 36.7 percent increase during the same month, the report said.
The leader in online casino play in Italy is Lottomatica with a 14.66 percent share of the market in 2015, followed by Sisal with 9.69 percent and William Hill with 8.28 percent.
