Unibet Enters Europe’s Liquidity Sharing Pool

March 19th, 2018 | by Jason Reynolds

Unibet and Betclic can now share playerpools between France, Portugal, Spain and Italy after ARJEL gave both operators the regulatory greenlight.

Betclic and Unibet.fr (pictured) can now share players between four of Europe’s leading iGaming markets. (Image: YouTube/Vincent Rafiee)

Following the enactment of a liquidity sharing pact between the aforementioned countries, French regulator ARJEL has sanctioned the parent companies of two major platforms.

In an announcement made on March 15, both SPS Betting France Limited and Betclic Enterprises Limited had their current licenses modified in line with the new rules.

Unibet Looking to Build

For those inside France, Betclic is a well-known operator. However, for those outside of the country, the license modification for SPS Betting France Limited will prove particularly interesting as this is the company in charge of Unibet.fr.

With a presence in countries across Europe, Unibet is in a position to take full advantage of the liquidity sharing policy and build on the recent success it’s had in the UK. After leaving the Microgaming Poker Network in 2013 to relaunch on its own network, Unibet has built up a reputation as a place for casual players.

This move to distinguish itself from “serious” poker rooms was unique at the time, but it’s a model that’s since been adopted by many of the larger operators, including PokerStars. Thanks to its forward-thinking approach, Unibet’s parent company, the Kindred Group, won the International Gaming Award for Online Poker Room of the Year in 2018.

Recipe for Fun Should Prove Popular

Off the back of this and its growth in the UK, Unibet announced its return to Irish market at the start of March. With the company currently on a high, ARJEL’s approval will be another chance for it to impress on the European scene.

Despite being one of the smaller poker operators, Unibet has a solid reputation in Europe thanks to its sports betting platform. Through this and its focus on casual games, Unibet could prove hugely popular in the shared market.

Indeed, with PokerStars receiving a liquidity sharing license earlier in 2018, platform such as Unibet and Betclic will need to carve out a niche if they’re going to survive.

Given the former has already shown its capable of this in the highly competitive UK market, there’s no reason it can’t do the same in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal.