The Rise and Rise of PKR
Regular gamers will know that October 2006 was a dark time for the gambling community as a whole. The Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) saw American players forbidden from wagering at their favorite sites with immediate effect.
It was a law that angered many, and had a huge effect on publicly listed gaming companies with share prices crashing overnight which led to a huge amount of redundancies across the US. Three years on the battle is still being fought with many leading politicians still looking to over turn the bill and allow online gambling to become the major force that it once was.
At a time when household names such as Party Gaming were seeing their share price drop by almost 80%, one little known poker room was starting to flourish. Just a year after launching, PKR had already signed up their one millionth player and twelve months after that they were officially proclaimed as the fastest growing poker room in Europe.
So how had PKR managed to succeed where others had failed? How had they managed to buck a trend that was causing so many bigger brands such problems?
There are probably a few reasons for this, but the major one was that their product was so different to everything else that was on the market. The PKR software uses stunning 3D graphics to re-create luscious environments that just can't be found anywhere else online. Players are able to create digital personas which move so smoothly and react to the action that goes on around them. It's an environment that really draws the player to such an extent that they feel as though they're playing in a live casino. Three years after the UIGEA was passed, there is still not an poker room around that can touch PKR for the look and feel of their software.
Any company looking to succeed in such difficult conditions needs a strong management team and PKR had just that. Co-Founder Jez San was an expert in the online gaming industry and had a strong track record as an entrepreneur. Highly talented individuals were recruited to develop their offering and an impressive marketing strategy was put in place.
By marketing the product before the official launch date, the PKR team were able to not only gather feedback on their development but also built up a high level of expectation which spread around poker circles.
Once the poker room was launched, players were offered a choice of PKR bonus codes which gave them up to $2,000 free when they made their first deposit - it's a promotion which is still one of the strongest available in online poker today.
PKR have made sure that they haven't rested on their laurels though. A demand for continual improvement has led to regular software updates with even more environments being made available to players and emphasis being put on a strong community feel. Today, PKR have expanded to host their own TV channel and publish a regular magazine for their players.
The growth of the PKR poker room is testament to a lot of hard work and a clear vision that has been followed immaculately. Its launch opened the door to another whole level of online gaming and it's my opinion that three years later it is still revolutionizing the poker industry.
Regular gamers will know that October 2006 was a dark time for the gambling community as a whole. The Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) saw American players forbidden from wagering at their favorite sites with immediate effect.
It was a law that angered many, and had a huge effect on publicly listed gaming companies with share prices crashing overnight which led to a huge amount of redundancies across the US. Three years on the battle is still being fought with many leading politicians still looking to over turn the bill and allow online gambling to become the major force that it once was.
At a time when household names such as Party Gaming were seeing their share price drop by almost 80%, one little known poker room was starting to flourish. Just a year after launching, PKR had already signed up their one millionth player and twelve months after that they were officially proclaimed as the fastest growing poker room in Europe.
So how had PKR managed to succeed where others had failed? How had they managed to buck a trend that was causing so many bigger brands such problems?
There are probably a few reasons for this, but the major one was that their product was so different to everything else that was on the market. The PKR software uses stunning 3D graphics to re-create luscious environments that just can't be found anywhere else online. Players are able to create digital personas which move so smoothly and react to the action that goes on around them. It's an environment that really draws the player to such an extent that they feel as though they're playing in a live casino. Three years after the UIGEA was passed, there is still not an poker room around that can touch PKR for the look and feel of their software.
Any company looking to succeed in such difficult conditions needs a strong management team and PKR had just that. Co-Founder Jez San was an expert in the online gaming industry and had a strong track record as an entrepreneur. Highly talented individuals were recruited to develop their offering and an impressive marketing strategy was put in place.
By marketing the product before the official launch date, the PKR team were able to not only gather feedback on their development but also built up a high level of expectation which spread around poker circles.
Once the poker room was launched, players were offered a choice of PKR bonus codes which gave them up to $2,000 free when they made their first deposit - it's a promotion which is still one of the strongest available in online poker today.
PKR have made sure that they haven't rested on their laurels though. A demand for continual improvement has led to regular software updates with even more environments being made available to players and emphasis being put on a strong community feel. Today, PKR have expanded to host their own TV channel and publish a regular magazine for their players.
The growth of the PKR poker room is testament to a lot of hard work and a clear vision that has been followed immaculately. Its launch opened the door to another whole level of online gaming and it's my opinion that three years later it is still revolutionizing the poker industry.
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