In the months after Black Friday, when three of the top online poker websites were shut down, Canadian poker players were at a loss. They were left without a quality location at which to play online poker games, and had a difficult time filling the void. Soon, however, publicly-traded poker sites came to the rescue, as Party Poker and 888 began their Canadian invasion.
Party Poker and 888 have worked hard over the course of the past few years to gain a substantial presence in a wide range of English-speaking markets. The sites entered Australia, Canada and the United States years ago, but Full Tilt and Poker Stars still managed to have a near-monopoly in these countries.
Now, Party Poker and 888 are finally getting the recognition they deserve. After Black Friday saw the closure of Full Tilt Poker and a short suspension of Poker Stars, Canadian poker players decided to take their business elsewhere – and these two websites presented great alternatives.
The American government has recently decided to relax its gaming laws, declaring sportsbetting to be the only illegal form of online gambling. While Poker Stars and Full Tilt may have some difficulty re-entering the American market, publicly-traded companies are likely to thrive. As operators like Party Poker and 888 managed to adhere to the country’s gambling laws, they are likely to be the most successful candidates for obtaining licenses in the USA’s newly regulated market.
