Steve Cook, European Managing Director from poker software developers Tribeca Tables, gives his expert views on what we can expect in 2006 for poker vendors and operators.
[ 1 2 3 4 ] - Continued from Part II.
At Tribeca Tables, we are seen as more than just a poker software company and network provider. Building a poker business requires deep poker knowledge. Our portfolio of high-profile clients such as Victor Chandler, Golden Palace, Blue Sq, Paddy Power, BETonSPORTS, Bowmans and Doylesroom speaks for itself. We have a clear version about partnering with brands and building on their customer relationships, while our clients rely on our poker expertise. It is truly a poker partnership.
So while online poker has become extremely popular in the past three
years, it could be assumed that most people in the UK would have heard
of poker by now. However it is still a relatively small percentage
of the gambling population that is actually playing online poker.
There are still some barriers with attracting new customers too, such
as trusting the Internet with personal banking information or whether
customers will receive their winnings, etc. Also, because poker is
very much a skill game, Texas Hold’em in particular is more
complex and requires a great deal of education. Therefore new customers,
politely known as the fish, need to feel comfortable with entering
a poker room and that they are not going to get picked off by the
sharks.
Internet gambling will continue to grow in the UK. There is no reason
to say it won’t. You can’t stop people wanting to gamble
and the Internet isn’t going anywhere! But there are also other
platforms that have entered the space. Both wireless and digital TV
are the next gambling channels to be exploited. Poker is mainly seen
as the base to expand these new avenues. Already there are now several
poker channels and considerably more poker tournaments being featured
on terrestrial and satellite TV. We will likely see digital TV creating
the most opportunities, as standardising poker formats will be much
easier for iDTV than the standard screen sizes for mobile phones,
until technology catches up with “fold-away” screens and
can handle the bandwidth. Fold-away screens that open up to over four
times the size of the actual phone casing are in early stages of technological
development. Until then, however, there are technical restraints with
wireless formats as well as issues over minors gambling. But having
said that, mobile poker will happen and will create a niche market
for many commercial operators such as bookmakers and established brands
who will be the first to seize these opportunities.
[ 1 2 3 4 ] This article continues with Part IV.
Steve Cook is the Managing Director of Tribeca Tables Europe, Limited, registered in the Channel Island of Alderney. They are the world's first and largest independent network of ePoker brands and committed to providing innovative and reliable software solutions to clients exclusively in the arena of ePoker.