You certainly can’t accuse PokerStars of not having perseverance. After a year in which their online gaming applications were rejected in both New Jersey and Nevada, PokerStars are still committed to the US online poker market. In fact, they are very “confident” that they’ll make some major progress in the United States in 2014.
Eric Hollreiser, Head of Corporate Communications for PokerStars, blogged about the matter while discussing his disappointment over how the Atlantic Club deal ended. As you may recall, Rational had lined up a deal to buy the failing Atlantic Club and keep it operational. However, Atlantic Club’s owners, Colony Capital, walked away at the last minute in hopes of cashing in on the New Jersey online poker market. They eventually declared bankruptcy and were sold off for parts, sacrificing 1,600 remaining jobs in the process.
So while PokerStars can’t do anything for these employees or use the Atlantic Club as a springboard towards a US gaming license, Hollreiser remains very positive. He closed his recent blog post with the following statement:
PokerStars will continue to pursue our goals and remain confident that we will have a strong presence and positive economic impact in the American market in 2014, whether that is in New Jersey or another state seeking the benefits of being home to a world-class online gaming company.
So what area is PokerStars currently targeting in the United States? With their New Jersey online gaming application currently suspended for two years, Stars have been working on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. They’ve been sending high-priced lobbyists to speak with Cuomo and his lawyers in hopes that they’ll not only consider regulating online gaming, but also make PokerStars a future priority.
This seems like a long shot at the moment, given that New York isn’t considered one of the states that’s closest to regulating online poker. However, the Empire State is definitely worth the effort when you consider their population of 19.57 million people. This is well over twice the size of New Jersey, which is home to 8.64 million people.