Uk-Poker.co.uk

UK online poker sites are expected to face a downturn in business during this month’s football World Cup, which typically draws online gamblers away from casino and poker tables. 888 Holdings, one of the largest online gambling operators in the UK, saw its shares fall by 18 per cent last Friday, whilst PartyGaming suffered a 5.3 per cent drop. To illustrate the expectation that UK online poker sites will lose out to bookmakers, shares in William Hill and Ladbrokes experienced a moderate rise on Friday as football fever slowly began to take hold of the country.

Although the World Cup is virtually guaranteed to affect the activity of players on many UK online poker sites, 888 Holdings’ weak performance on the London Stock Exchange could also be explained by the relative weakness of the euro and sterling against the US dollar, which is the currency of choice for most poker sites in the UK. New gambling regulations set to be implemented in France are also expected to test the strength of gambling sites on the continent, as operators will be required to spend heavily on marketing costs in order to move to the revised regulated platform.

With the World Cup clearly visible on the horizon, UK online poker sites have opted for contrasting strategies in order to survive the inevitable downturn. 888 Holdings has chosen to ride the storm without introducing any special offers above and beyond its normal service. In contrast, PartyPoker is firing all guns to ensure that its losses are kept to a minimum during the World Cup. In addition to a selection of ongoing tournaments, including the superb Monthly Million and $1.5K freeroll, PartyPoker is hosting a number of specials that can help players overcome football fever. PartyPoker members can even play to win a brand new Aston Martin DB9 Coupe or a WSOP (World Series of Poker) seat for life among other top prizes.