PokerStars Earns Estonian License

PokerStars gained the ability to expand into yet another poker market this week, earning an activity license in Estonia. The license, granted by the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, means that PokerStars now only needs an operational license to get up and running in the country.

While Estonia isn’t often the first name on people’s minds when they think of important markets – in fact, it’s one of the smallest countries in the European Union – there has been something of a poker boom there in recent times. In fact, PokerStars itself has contributed to this, by putting a European Poker Tour event in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The tournament – held just last week – was won by Norway’s Kevin Stani, who took home €400,000.

Tomas Larsson, PokerStars’ Baltics Country Manager, said that the city itself was a key component in the growth of poker in Estonia.

"In addition to Estonia having excellent players and tournament organisers, Tallinn is also a new and truly attractive destination for many top players," he said.

The activity license was an important first step for PokerStars in Estonia, as the nation recently blocked access to foreign online poker sites.

“Applying for a license is always a complicated process and I am therefore very happy that PokerStars has successfully met all the necessary criteria to obtain an activity license in Estonia,” Larsson said.

PokerStars has spent significant time focusing on earning operational licenses in various European countries in recent years. In 2008, they opened a site in the Italian market, while just this June, they were able to enter the newly regulated French market. PokerStars also runs EPT events in both nations. While these sites run independently from the main PokerStars.com poker room, they still attract major traffic; according to PokerScout.com, PokerStars.fr consistently ranks in the top 10 among all online poker rooms in terms of traffic numbers.