PokerStars is making one of the biggest changes in its online poker history.
For decades, PokerStars largely operated as its own poker destination.
Players downloaded PokerStars.
They joined PokerStars tables.
They played PokerStars tournaments.
Now that model is changing.
The newly expanded PokerStars Network is opening its technology and shared player liquidity to other poker operators.
That means another poker brand could potentially keep its own name while using PokerStars software, joining the same player pool and offering familiar PokerStars products.
Betfair has already become part of the new structure in the UK.
Paddy Power and Sky Poker are expected to follow.
More importantly, PokerStars is no longer limiting the idea to brands owned by parent company Flutter.
The network is now being promoted to outside operators.
For players, the biggest potential change is simple:
More brands could eventually mean more players sharing the same poker tables.
That can affect cash-game traffic, tournament fields, prize pools and waiting times.
Here is what the new PokerStars Network means, how it works and why this could become one of the most important online poker changes of 2026.
PokerStars Network 2026: Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Network | PokerStars Network |
| Owner | Flutter Entertainment |
| Main Change | Network opening to external poker operators |
| Shared Liquidity | Yes |
| Existing UK Partner | Betfair |
| Planned Flutter Brands | Paddy Power and Sky Poker |
| Italy Examples | Sisal and SNAI |
| North America Example | FanDuel integration |
| Partner Branding | PokerStars branding, partner branding or white-label options |
| Available Products | Includes PokerStars poker products and tournament brands |
| Highlighted Brands | Sunday Million, Spin & Go and European Poker Tour |
| First Independent Partner | Not publicly announced yet |
What Is the PokerStars Network?
The PokerStars Network is a shared poker platform operated within Flutter’s online gaming ecosystem.
Instead of every poker company building its own software, tournaments, security systems and player pool, an operator can potentially connect to PokerStars infrastructure.
That partner can then gain access to several parts of the PokerStars ecosystem.
- Shared player liquidity
- Poker software and infrastructure
- Cash games and tournaments
- Game integrity technology
- Poker operations expertise
- Promotional systems
- Live-event connections
- PokerStars brands and products
However, the partner does not necessarily need to look exactly like PokerStars.
The network says integrations can use a combination of PokerStars branding, an operator’s existing branding and white-label options.
That flexibility is what turns PokerStars from only a poker site into a broader poker network.
Why This Is Such a Big Change for PokerStars
PokerStars has been one of online poker’s most recognizable standalone brands for more than two decades.
Historically, that identity mattered.
If you wanted PokerStars software and PokerStars tournaments, you normally played through PokerStars.
Other poker networks worked differently.
For example, several brands could share one underlying network while appearing as separate sites to players.
PokerStars is now moving closer to that model.
However, it brings something unusually powerful to the concept.
It already has one of the largest poker brands in the world.
Therefore, a new network partner does not need to build a poker ecosystem from zero.
What Does Shared Liquidity Mean?
Shared liquidity simply means players from different brands can participate in the same poker ecosystem.
Imagine one player logging in through PokerStars.
Another player may enter through a partner brand.
Both could eventually sit in the same player pool where regulations and network configuration allow it.
This is important because online poker depends heavily on liquidity.
A casino game can run with one player.
Poker cannot.
You need opponents.
More players can therefore improve several parts of the experience.
More Players Can Mean More Available Tables
Cash-game traffic is one of the clearest examples.
A smaller poker site may have enough players for popular Hold’em stakes but struggle with less common formats.
For example, a player may want PLO or a particular stake and find no active table.
A larger shared network can improve the situation.
More players create more chances for a table to start.
As a result, waiting times may fall while game availability increases.
PokerStars itself highlights this effect when explaining the new network.
Shared Liquidity Can Also Create Bigger Tournaments
Tournaments benefit from scale in a different way.
More entries can support larger guarantees.
They can also reduce the risk that an operator needs to cover a large overlay.
That gives networks more flexibility when creating headline events.
We have already seen how powerful scale can become in modern online poker.
Our Online Poker Boom 2026 report examines how huge player pools helped GGPoker build record tournament guarantees and traffic.
The PokerStars Network appears designed around the same basic principle.
Liquidity creates options.
Betfair Has Already Joined the PokerStars Network
This is not only a future plan.
Betfair has already become part of the PokerStars Network strategy in the United Kingdom.
From August 13, Betfair customers gained access to PokerStars through a co-branded PokerStars on Betfair product.
Importantly, this did not create a completely separate small poker pool.
PokerStars confirmed that UK players continue to participate in the existing global player pool.
Betfair players simply join that wider community.
Therefore, the early UK rollout gives us a real example of how the network can work.
Paddy Power and Sky Poker Are Next
Betfair is not expected to remain the only Flutter brand using the network.
PokerStars says Paddy Power and Sky Poker will also host PokerStars products later.
That is especially interesting for Sky Poker.
Sky has operated its own recognizable poker environment for years.
Moving into a shared PokerStars ecosystem could expose its customers to much larger player pools and tournament fields.
However, exact product details can differ by market.
Players should therefore wait for each brand’s final migration information before assuming every feature will be identical.
The Bigger News: Outside Operators Can Join Too
This is the part that makes the September announcement much more significant.
Betfair, Paddy Power, Sky Poker and PokerStars all sit under Flutter.
Moving Flutter-owned brands together is important, but it remains an internal group strategy.
Opening the network to independent operators is different.
PokerStars is now presenting the platform as a business-to-business poker product.
That means an operator outside the Flutter group can potentially explore joining the network.
No first independent third-party partner had been publicly announced at the time of writing.
However, the network is now officially being marketed to potential partners.
Why Would Another Poker Operator Join PokerStars?
Building an online poker platform is difficult.
An operator needs more than attractive software.
It also needs enough players.
Then it needs security systems, fraud monitoring, tournament technology, payments, support and regulatory compliance.
After that, it still needs to persuade players to join.
A network can reduce some of those barriers.
Instead of creating everything independently, a partner can connect to an established poker infrastructure.
That can make entering a regulated market faster and less expensive.
PokerStars Is Offering More Than Software
The official network pitch goes well beyond a poker client.
PokerStars highlights several areas for partners.
These include poker operations, game integrity, tournament technology, marketing support and live-event expertise.
That combination matters.
A technically good poker room can still fail if there are not enough opponents.
Likewise, a large player pool can lose trust if cheating and collusion are not controlled.
Therefore, the real product is the entire ecosystem.
Game Integrity Could Become a Major Selling Point
Online poker networks have a difficult job.
They need to monitor players across large pools while detecting prohibited behavior.
That can include collusion, bots and prohibited real-time assistance.
The PokerStars Network specifically promotes its Game Integrity capabilities to potential partners.
This could become increasingly important as online poker operators compete on trust rather than only bonuses.
Our Poker Bots and RTA in 2026 guide explains why platform security has become one of online poker’s biggest long-term challenges.
Could Partner Players Enter the Sunday Million?
Potentially, depending on the specific partner, market and integration.
The PokerStars Network directly promotes the Sunday Million as part of its portfolio of recognizable poker products.
That is significant.
The Sunday Million is not simply another tournament name.
It is one of online poker’s longest-running weekly tournament brands.
Its 20th anniversary edition in 2026 carried a $5 million guarantee.
Our Sunday Million 20th Anniversary guide explains why the tournament still attracts major interest two decades after launch.
If future network partners can feed more players into PokerStars tournament ecosystems, events such as the Sunday Million could benefit directly from larger liquidity.
Spin & Go Is Also Part of the Network Pitch
PokerStars also highlights Spin & Go.
That makes sense because fast jackpot-style poker has become one of the platform’s most recognizable formats.
Spin games are particularly useful for network expansion because they need players to start quickly.
More shared liquidity can reduce waiting times.
It can also support more buy-in levels and larger player volume.
For a broader explanation of the format, our Jackpot Sit & Go Poker 2026 guide covers why randomized-prize tournaments remain so popular.
Even the European Poker Tour Is Part of the Offer
The network is not limited to online tables.
PokerStars also promotes its live-event ecosystem to partners.
That includes the European Poker Tour and PokerStars Open.
This could help a partner connect online qualification with live poker.
For example, an operator could potentially use network tournaments to award seats or packages into major live events, depending on the final partnership structure.
That creates another reason for poker companies to consider the network.
They are not only joining a software platform.
They may also gain access to one of poker’s best-known live-event ecosystems.
Italy Shows How the Model Can Work
PokerStars has already tested network-style integration in regulated markets.
Italy is one important example.
Sisal moved its poker players onto the PokerStars Network while maintaining its own consumer brand.
SNAI later joined the Italian network as well.
Therefore, the idea of a separate brand using PokerStars infrastructure is already real.
The new development is the decision to expand that model much more broadly.
North America Has Already Seen Another Version
PokerStars also points to its integration with FanDuel in North America as part of the wider network strategy.
That market works differently because US online poker is regulated state by state.
Therefore, network expansion does not automatically mean one giant US player pool.
Licensing and interstate agreements still determine where players can participate.
This distinction is critical.
A global technology strategy cannot override local gambling law.
Does This Mean PokerStars Is Becoming Like iPoker?
Conceptually, there are similarities.
iPoker has long operated as a network used by several poker brands.
Players may enter through different operators while sharing underlying liquidity.
PokerStars is now moving toward a broader network structure as well.
However, the starting position is different.
PokerStars already has a huge global consumer brand and established tournament ecosystem.
Therefore, it is not building a network from an unknown base.
It is opening an existing poker ecosystem to more partners.
What Happens to the PokerStars Brand?
PokerStars is not disappearing.
The network model actually gives the brand several ways to expand.
Some partners may use visible PokerStars branding.
Others may keep more of their existing identity.
The official network site also describes white-label options.
Therefore, players may eventually encounter the same underlying PokerStars technology through different front-end brands.
The exact experience will depend on the operator and market.
Could You Sit With a Player From Another Poker Brand?
That is one of the most interesting possibilities.
Shared liquidity means different brands can feed players into the same network.
So, where regulations and network design allow it, two players using different operator brands could participate in the same broader ecosystem.
This is already the basic concept behind many established poker networks.
For players, the logo used at login may become less important than the network underneath it.
Why Liquidity Matters So Much in Online Poker
Poker is a marketplace of opponents.
The more active players a network has, the easier it becomes to create games.
This is particularly important outside peak hours.
A small room might have excellent software but very few tables at 4 a.m.
A larger network has a better chance of keeping games running across multiple time zones.
That can improve the experience for cash-game players and tournament grinders alike.
More Liquidity Does Not Automatically Mean Softer Games
This point is important.
Players often hear “more traffic” and immediately imagine easier games.
That is not guaranteed.
A larger network can attract recreational players.
However, it can also attract more professionals.
Therefore, table difficulty depends on stake, format, time and the types of partners that join.
The main advantage of larger liquidity is choice.
It does not automatically create weaker opposition.
Could PokerStars Tournaments Become Even Bigger?
Yes, that is one possible long-term effect.
PokerStars already runs major tournament series.
WCOOP 2026, for example, contains hundreds of tournaments across multiple buy-in levels.
Our WCOOP 2026 schedule guide covers the current series and its major Main Events.
If more brands eventually contribute players to the same ecosystem, PokerStars may gain more flexibility with future guarantees.
However, no specific future guarantee increase has been announced because of the B2B expansion.
For now, that remains a potential effect rather than a confirmed change.
Could Smaller Poker Sites Disappear?
Not necessarily.
A network can actually allow a smaller brand to survive without building its own complete poker infrastructure.
For example, a sportsbook may have a loyal customer base but insufficient poker liquidity.
Joining a larger network lets that brand offer poker while continuing to serve its existing customers.
Therefore, the network model can preserve consumer brands even while consolidating the technology underneath them.
This Could Increase Competition Between Poker Networks
The online poker market already contains several large ecosystems.
GGPoker has significant international liquidity.
iPoker supports multiple operator brands.
WPN powers platforms such as ACR Poker.
Other operators use their own networks or regional structures.
Now PokerStars is making its infrastructure more openly available.
That means competition may increasingly happen at two levels.
Brands will compete for players.
At the same time, networks will compete for operators.
Why Operators Care About Poker Liquidity
Imagine launching a new poker room with only 500 active users.
Those users are divided across:
- different stakes;
- Hold’em and Omaha;
- cash games;
- Sit & Gos;
- tournaments;
- and different playing hours.
Suddenly, 500 users do not feel like a large player pool.
Shared networks solve part of this problem by combining liquidity.
That is why network scale matters so much more in poker than in many other online gaming products.
What Could Change for Existing PokerStars Players?
At first, possibly very little.
PokerStars players can continue using PokerStars.
The new B2B strategy does not require everyone to move to a different account.
The larger changes would happen gradually as partners join.
Players may eventually notice:
- more opponents;
- larger tournament fields;
- additional qualifiers;
- more regional brands feeding the network;
- and new ways to access PokerStars products.
However, those effects will depend on how many operators actually sign agreements.
What Will Not Automatically Change?
Several things should not be assumed.
A new partner does not automatically mean every country becomes available.
It does not remove licensing restrictions.
It also does not guarantee that every partner receives every PokerStars feature.
Local regulations can affect tournaments, payment options, promotions and player-pool sharing.
Therefore, players should check the rules attached to their specific operator and jurisdiction.
Will Everyone Share One Global PokerStars Pool?
No universal promise says every PokerStars Network partner worldwide will enter one unrestricted global pool.
Regulated markets can require separate liquidity.
Some countries also have ring-fenced player pools.
Therefore, the network has to adapt to local law.
The UK example is important because PokerStars has confirmed that Betfair users continue into the existing global pool.
That does not mean every future jurisdiction will work identically.
Could the PokerStars Network Help Regulated Markets?
Potentially.
Launching online poker independently is difficult in a smaller regulated market.
Operators may struggle to create enough liquidity to support a healthy schedule.
A network partner can provide established technology and potentially shared liquidity where regulations permit.
That could make poker more attractive to operators that currently focus mainly on casino games or sports betting.
What About the United States?
The US requires special caution.
Online poker regulation works at the state level.
Only certain states currently offer regulated real-money online poker.
Shared liquidity across state borders also requires appropriate agreements and approvals.
Therefore, PokerStars opening its global network to partners does not suddenly make PokerStars available nationwide.
Any US expansion still has to follow state licensing requirements.
Our Online Poker Legal Guide 2026 explains why the US market remains so fragmented.
Why This Could Matter More Than Another Poker Promotion
Promotions end.
Tournament series end.
Bonus offers change.
A network strategy is different.
It changes the infrastructure behind the game.
If PokerStars attracts several major operators, the decision could reshape where players find games for years.
That is why the September announcement deserves more attention than a temporary tournament guarantee.
The First Independent Partner Will Be Important
The biggest unanswered question is simple.
Who joins first?
Betfair, Paddy Power and Sky Poker are all Flutter brands.
They prove that the network works internally.
However, the first operator from outside Flutter will provide a stronger test of the B2B strategy.
No such partner had been officially announced at the time of writing.
That will be one of the key PokerStars stories to watch next.
What Players Should Watch Next
Several developments will determine how significant the PokerStars Network becomes.
- The first independent partner: This will show whether outside operators see enough value to join.
- New regulated markets: Network expansion may be especially useful where standalone poker liquidity is difficult.
- Tournament traffic: Larger partner pools could eventually affect tournament guarantees and field sizes.
- Cash-game liquidity: Players should watch whether less popular stakes and formats gain more active tables.
- Brand integration: Some operators may use PokerStars branding while others keep their own identity.
- Game integrity: More players and brands increase the importance of consistent network-wide security.
PokerStars Network FAQ
What is the PokerStars Network?
The PokerStars Network is PokerStars’ shared poker infrastructure for brands and operators. It includes poker technology, liquidity, tournaments, game integrity systems and access to selected PokerStars products.
Is PokerStars becoming a poker network?
Yes. PokerStars is expanding from a primarily standalone consumer poker brand into a broader network that other operators can join.
Can outside poker companies join PokerStars?
Yes. PokerStars is now marketing the network to third-party operators outside its own Flutter group.
Has an independent third-party operator joined yet?
No first independent external partner had been publicly announced at the time of writing.
Is Betfair on the PokerStars Network?
Yes. Betfair customers in the UK gained access to PokerStars through a co-branded PokerStars on Betfair product in August 2026.
Will Sky Poker join PokerStars?
PokerStars says Sky Poker is expected to host the PokerStars product later in 2026.
Will Paddy Power join the PokerStars Network?
Yes. PokerStars has also identified Paddy Power as a brand expected to join the network.
Do Betfair players share PokerStars tables?
PokerStars says UK players remain in the existing global player pool, with Betfair customers joining the wider network.
What does shared liquidity mean?
Shared liquidity means players coming through different participating brands can contribute to the same poker ecosystem where regulations allow it.
Can a partner keep its own brand?
Yes. PokerStars says integration can combine PokerStars branding with a partner’s own brand, theming and white-label options.
Will PokerStars Network partners get Sunday Million?
PokerStars lists Sunday Million among the products and brands available within its network proposition. Exact access will depend on the partner and market.
Is Spin & Go part of the PokerStars Network?
Yes. Spin & Go is specifically highlighted in the network’s product portfolio.
Is the European Poker Tour connected to the network?
Yes. PokerStars presents the EPT and its broader live-event expertise as part of the value offered to network partners.
Does PokerStars Network mean bigger prize pools?
A larger shared player pool can support bigger fields and potentially bigger prize pools. However, no universal guarantee increase has been announced simply because the network is expanding.
Does this make PokerStars legal everywhere?
No. Each operator still has to follow the gambling and licensing rules of the jurisdiction where it operates.
Will PokerStars Network be available across the entire US?
No nationwide rollout has been announced. US online poker remains regulated on a state-by-state basis.
Who owns the PokerStars Network?
PokerStars is part of Flutter Entertainment.
Final Thoughts: PokerStars Is No Longer Thinking Like Just One Poker Site
The PokerStars Network represents a major change in how PokerStars approaches online poker.
For years, the model was simple.
PokerStars built the software.
PokerStars attracted the players.
PokerStars ran the tournaments.
And players entered through PokerStars.
Now the company wants more brands connected to the same ecosystem.
Betfair has already joined.
Paddy Power and Sky Poker are expected to follow.
Sisal and SNAI demonstrate how local brands can use PokerStars infrastructure in Italy.
FanDuel provides another example within North America.
Most importantly, PokerStars is now opening the door to companies outside Flutter.
That could change the competitive landscape.
Smaller operators may gain access to established poker technology.
Players may gain access to larger shared pools.
Cash games could gain more traffic.
Tournaments could gain more entries.
And PokerStars products could reach players who did not originally sign up through PokerStars itself.
However, the biggest test has not happened yet.
We still need to see which independent operator joins first.
If major outside brands begin signing up, September 2026 may be remembered as the moment PokerStars stopped behaving only like a poker room.
It started behaving like the infrastructure behind an entire poker network.
