Interactive
Malta – Unibet moves all live poker events to online format
By Phil - 29 April 2020
Unibet is to move all land-based poker events into their online poker room, Unibet Poker, for the remainder of 2020.
This decision is relevant to the Unibet Open events; the games are not cancelled, but they will be re-homed within the independent online poker client.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly,” said Head of Events, Nataly Sopacuaperu. “We fully understand the impact to our partners and the land-based venues, however, as a priority, we must consider not only the health of our customers but also the difficulty for recreational players with regards to planning trips around uncertainty.”
By making this decision firmly and early, ahead of knowing what the global situation will be in a few months, Unibet can ensure that Unibet Open fans can play an alternative to the live calendar events that they expect from the comfort of their own home, without risking lost money on flights or accommodation bookings.
Unibet is a poker operator that concentrates focus on recreational players and understands that poker is a hobby for many Unibet live-event regulars; the teams involved had to conclude that confirming the games, but moving them into a digital venue was the best option for most players.
In March, Unibet made the decision to combine the planned Unibet Open Tallinn with the Unibet Online Series VIII, creating a special €1 Million guaranteed series running from 1 May with 132 events, culminating with the €1,100 buy-in Unibet Open Main Event on 24 May.
Today’s announcement is the logical continuation of their philosophy of being proactive in the face of adversity.
Staying true to their recreational roots, Unibet teams are already planning how to bring the fun associated with the land-based product to the online world, over and above the tournaments, and ideas are welcome from players via the Unibet community forum, where players can talk directly to senior members of the poker team.
The Unibet Poker teams know that their growth and success over the years is entirely due to the loyalty and support of their players, and it has always been the strategy to communicate openly and clearly.
“We know some people will be disappointed, the team here certainly is, we love the live events!” said Head of Poker, Kristoffer Bergvall, “That said, we are all in agreement that this is the best way to ensure the consistency and reliability that people have come to expect from our product, and the online room is better equipped than ever to house our land-based fans.”
As Europe prepares to return to a new version of normal, Unibet Poker prepares to do the same.
