PokerStars Scoops More Records Thanks to Southern Europe’s SCOOP

Jason Reynolds

2 years ago

PokerStars’ Southern European Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) was a resounding success and proved liquidity sharing can be profitable.

PokerStars is celebrating another successful tournament venture over in Southern Europe’s shared liquidity market. (Image: Emerging Europe)

Running between March 24 and April 11, the ring-fenced festival saw more than 54,000 players taken part in 290 tournaments.

That level of interest not only ensured the €250/$280 main event’s prizepool topped €1 million/$1.2 million but the festival as a whole surpassed expectations.

PokerStars Puts Up Big Numbers

When the final results were in, this year’s total payout was $19.8 million. That figure was almost $2 million than the $16.8 million guarantee and meant multiple players took home five-figure+ scores.

At the top of the money pile when Southern Europe’s SCOOP ended was TimeForPlanBtc. After making his way past 4,952 entries, the online player took home the main event title and just over $134,000.

Commenting on the series, director of poker innovation and operations at PokerStars Severin Rasset said new liquidity sharing dynamics were important.

“It was a major achievement to increase Southern Europe’s SCOOP guarantee from €10 million/$11.2 million in 2018 to €15 million/$16.8 million in 2019, thanks to the addition of Portugal to the shared liquidity of France and Spain,” Rasset said in an April 23 press release.

The inaugural Franco-Spanish SCOOP saw players generate a total prizepool worth $14.4 million over the course of 100 events. Buoyed by that success and the addition of Portugal to Southern Europe’s shared liquidity pool, PokerStars upped the ante this time around.

Future Remains Bright for SCOOP

As expected, France dominated the festival in terms of participation. However, it was Spanish players who bagged the most titles.

While those dynamics are unlikely to change when Italy joins the shared playerpool, its presence should bolster SCOOP’s bottom line.

Despite being a country of just 60 million people, SCOOP Italy continues to thrive.

This year, PokerStars announced the festival’s $5.6 million guarantee was beaten by almost $800,000. What’s more, the series now stands as the largest SCOOP ever held in Italy.

If Italy can finalize its shared liquidity regulations, next year’s Southern European SCOOP could set more records.

Moreover, this success in Europe should bode well for its forthcoming international series. Set to get underway on May 12, SCOOP 2019 will give away at least $75 million in prize money.

That prizepool is not only an opportunity for players to win big but for PokerStars to stamp its authority on the industry.

With Partypoker nipping at its heels, SCOOP is a chance for the market leader to flex its muscle in Europe and the industry as a whole.