There has been an agreement between International Entertainment Corp and The Stars Group Inc whereby giving permission for one of Internal Entertainment subsidiaries to operate land based live events as well as a poker room under the branding of PokerStars which is a significant brand name the falls under The Stars Group.– this was to take place in certain Asian Countries.
International Entertainment have within the last years changed hands and have new owners Brighten Path Ltd. Its current chairman, Stanley Choi, is himself it is believed to be a professional poker player.
The voluntary announcement regarding PokerStars by International Entertainment – a firm that has operated some hotel interests in the Philippines and was once linked with a possible tie up with business interests of Macau junket investor brand Suncity – came in a Friday filing. And the deal is between the Hong Kong group’s unit Lucky Genius Ltd and The Stars Group.
The Hong Kong firm stated in its latest filing regarding the PokerStars tie up: Since it launched in 2001, PokerStars has become the first choice of players all over the world, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else and with the best online security. More than 185 billion hands have been dealt on PokerStars, which is more than any other site it further noted.
PokerStars as the “world’s most licensed online gaming brand, holding licenses or related operating approvals in 17 jurisdictions. China has been viewed as a key growth market for poker in its social form, and one that could in turn feed the play for cash tournament market in Asia-Pacific casinos.
The game has however recently faced some headwinds in mainland China. In mid-April, Chinese-language media reports indicated the Ministry of Culture had ordered all social media platforms available in the jurisdiction to stop offering social gaming versions of poker by June 1 – Early in May it was reported that the live poker room “PokerStars Live at the City of Dreams Macau” had closed at the end of its existing contract.
