Yahoo! launches UK Poker Room

Search Engine giants Yahoo! have launched real money online poker on Yahoo.co.uk. Due to American online-gambling restrictions US Players are not permitted to play online poker. Yahoo! Poker has partnered with Gibraltar based St. Minver Ltd., and join IPN, the Poker Network owned and operated by Sweden’s Boss Media.

Yahoo’s entry to the gambling market is no surprise. In early 2005, Yahoo! disclosed its intention to partner with betting exchange Betfair to create a service to offer peer-to-peer sports wagering to UK and European residents (”Yahoo! Betting”).
Gambling: Yahoo Poker

The Yahoo! UK & Ireland Games web site also supports real money Bingo – poker seems like the logical next step. The new portal requires no download through a flash-only browser based design. Yahoo! has partnered with Endemol Gaming, to create video tutorials and interactive guides to help players develop their skills.

With a vast database of online consumers and a long history of successful online marketing, Yahoo! has the muscle to acquire a large chunk of the online poker market. Other big players such as Google and eBay are expected to monitor Yahoo’s poker success closely.

It is interesting to note that a search for the keyword “poker” on yahoo.com does not offer any reference to Yahoo! Poker on the first result page, nor does reference to Yahoo! Poker appear in the Yahoo! card games directory.