Could PokerStars Become a Poker Network Rather Than an Operator?

bjorn-lindberg
By Bjorn Lindberg
3 hours ago
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Bjorn Lindberg 3 hours ago
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  • PokerStars is shifting to a shared network model within Flutter brands.
  • Industry rumors suggest possible future B2B partnerships, but no confirmation yet.
  • Past customer transfers show potential, but engaging third parties would be a major step.
PokerStars is already changing from the standalone global poker room it has been for more than two decades. The bigger question is how far Flutter Entertainment is prepared to take that transformation.

PokerWired understands that one theory circulating within the industry is more radical than anything Flutter has publicly announced: PokerStars could eventually step back as the customer-facing operator in selected so-called grey markets, while continuing to provide the poker software and liquidity behind other brands.

Under that scenario, a third party could acquire a PokerStars customer database in that market and operate those players under a new brand, while the poker traffic remained connected to PokerStars liquidity.

PokerWired has not independently verified that Flutter is pursuing such a plan. There is no public evidence that an unaffiliated third-party operator is being prepared for access to the PokerStars Network.

Flutter Has Already Created the PokerStars Network

What is confirmed is that Flutter is moving PokerStars toward a network model.

In August, PokerStars described the PokerStars Network as a system connecting players across Flutter-owned brands into shared poker pools. Betfair became the first UK brand to join on August 13, with Paddy Power and Sky Poker scheduled to follow.

The same strategy is already in use in North America, where PokerStars became available exclusively through FanDuel in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ontario. New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan share liquidity.

Flutter has also acknowledged that activity on the global PokerStars platform has declined. Its Q2 2026 results cited an “overall decline in activity on the PokerStars global platform” alongside customer migrations and transformation work.

What remains speculative is whether Flutter would ever open that network beyond its own brands.

PokerPlanets Provides a Partial Precedent

There is a precedent for transferring PokerStars customers to another operator, although not for keeping them on PokerStars liquidity.

When the PokerStars Sochi operation closed in 2025, eligible customer data and positive cash balances were transferred to PokerPlanets unless players opted out. Former customers could retain their usernames but had to install a new client, reset their passwords and complete verification again.

PokerPlanets explicitly states that it is not affiliated with Flutter or PokerStars.

That distinction matters. The Sochi deal shows that a PokerStars customer database can be transferred to an independent operator. It does not show that an independent operator can become a skin on the PokerStars Network.

Industry estimates shared with PokerWired put the transferred database at roughly 10,000 players, but that number has not been independently verified. PokerWired has also heard claims that reactivating those customers has proved difficult. We have found no public data confirming that.

Acquiring accounts is not the same as acquiring active poker liquidity.

Rumours of Potential Buyers

PokerWired has heard separate industry rumours that at least two groups have made approaches concerning PokerStars or parts of the business.

One is described as involving well-known poker players with venture-capital backing. The other is said to involve Eastern European gambling interests.

PokerWired has not seen documentation confirming either approach, and Flutter has not announced that PokerStars is for sale. These claims remain unverified industry information.

PokerWired has heard that ClickOut Media approached Flutter about acquiring PokerNews and was turned down. No public documentation confirming that approach has been found.

What is documented is that PokerNews was retained when Flutter sold Oddschecker Global Media to Bruin Capital in 2021.

PokerStars Without a PokerStars Account?

A broader B2B-style model has obvious logic. Local operators could manage licensing, payments, marketing and customer relationships, while PokerStars supplied software, game integrity and shared liquidity.

Flutter’s PokerStars Network already moves in that direction inside its own group.

Opening it to independent operators would be a much bigger strategic step, raising questions around regulation, brand control, customer ownership and trust.

For now, there is no evidence that Flutter has made that leap.

But PokerStars is becoming less dependent on a single standalone operating model and more focused on shared liquidity across multiple brands.

Whether that eventually turns one of online poker’s biggest consumer brands into a broader poker infrastructure business remains speculation. It is also a far more credible question than it would have been a year ago.
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