PartyGaming Receives License to Operate in Venezuela
The online poker industry has become fiercely competitive of late, not that it wasn’t always competitive before, but it seems all of the major online poker rooms are vying for licenses in once restricted or isolated territories. The most recent regional penetration comes in the form of a sister site to Party Poker as its parent company, PartyGaming, just received a license to legally operate in Venezuela.
It is undoubtedly apparent that Venezuelan citizens enjoy a good game of online poker. There are already 40 online poker sites offering their internet gaming services to the country, entertaining an estimated total of about 60,000 members.
Those numbers are expected to rise substantially in the near future as cultural barriers are being demolished day by day. The most restrictive aspect at present is that the majority of Hispanics are not very familiar with the game of poker. It’s also been noted that the population is a lot more circumspect of divulging their personal and financial details over the internet, making them more leery of real money deposits than players in countries like the USA and the UK.
“The Spanish are still wary and reluctant to give their bank details over the Internet,” explains Gran Via Online CEO, Willem van Oort. “This can be explained by the weak localization efforts of some sites.”
PartyGaming is hoping that by breaching the access barrier, its distinguished reputation will be viewed as much more trustworthy than previous online gambling sites in the area. Being a major sponsor of football and other major sports has drawn the admiration of Hispanics worldwide, establishing a level of trust that other companies have yet to ascertain.
To further establish their trust with Venezuelan online poker players, PartyGaming has launched Azartia Poker009, a variation of its PartyPoker room designated for residents of the South American nation. All points are allocated in the local Venezuelan Bolivar currency, converting to roughly $0.05 USD.
The new Spanish online poker room welcomes any member who wishes to play in Venezuelan Bolivar, but the Director of Operations for Poker009, Luis Rodriguez, asserts that the number one goal is to gather Venezuelan online poker players to a safe, secure place where they belong.