Spain's Online Poker Market Booms as WPT Tournaments and Play Money Poker Gain Traction

The Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) published its first quarterly report on the online gaming market in Spain. The report revealed that the market generated 77 million euros from 1.250 million euros wagered. Poker contributed 35.9% of all amounts wagered, showing a dynamic upward trend.

In the world of poker tournaments, Noah Schwartz emerged victorious at the WPT Jacksonville. The event attracted 477 players, each paying a $3,500 entry fee. Schwartz defeated Byron Kaverman in the heads-up round, securing a prize of $402,970. The organization overlapped events, starting the WPT Copenhagen before the Jacksonville tournament concluded.

Andre Petrovic led the WPT Copenhagen tournament with 220,400 chips after the first two days. Meanwhile, in the US, play money poker is on the rise despite online poker remaining illegal. Double Down, a casino games company on Facebook, has contributed to this trend, along with Zynga. Notably, Full Tilt Poker saw 10,000 players at its play money tables within the first few days of its relaunch.