Online poker giant hits Italy

Poker Stars has been granted a gaming license by the Italian government. This means that the online poker room will be available to poker players in Italy from now on. Earlier this week the launch of PokerStars.it was announced.

The new license allows PokerStars to offer real money games in Italy, but only within the limits set by the Italian authorities and only to Italian players. PokerStars will offer Italian online tournaments with buyins ranging from €0.50 to €100.

According to market research estimates mad by Poker Stars: "during the first year of online poker being legalized, 500,000 accounts will be opened throughout the Italian poker industry - creating an estimated EURO 400 million market." So it's easy to see why the largest online poker room in the world is thrilled.

"PokerStars is proud to be entering a flourishing market with this new product. This is a ground breaking time for the online poker industry, and it's very exciting that the Italian market is pioneering this move," PokerStars.it Manager Fabio Angeli Bufalini said in a statement.