Tuesday July 17 2012 : UK POKER ASSOCIATION ACQUIRES ONLINE POKER SITE
No immediate operational changes, but there is a site revamp in the works
With a membership of around 50,000 ‘recreational' poker players, the UK-based Amateur Poker Association and Tour represents a formidable amount of player power and influence…and that means it will be a tough competitor following its acquisition of online poker room Poker.co.uk and its player base this week.
Although there are plans for a major site revamp, at least initially there will be little in the way of operational changes, with the site remaining on the GTechG2 IPN network, using the same support facilities as before.
Des Duffy, md of APAT, said that Poker.co.uk founder, Matt Dale, would join the board of APAT as online poker director as the organisation moved into the highly competitive space, with plans for satellites and entry to APAT’s live and online championship tournaments to run on the re-branded site, which will be offering cash games and tournaments 24/7.
Duffy added that Poker.co.uk will also be deployed to host APAT's National Online League and the inaugural National Online Cup, and will be used as a vehicle to promote other national and international sponsorships by the Association.
Speaking about his appointment, Dale commented: “With a membership of over 50,000 players and a reputation for being community focussed, APAT is well positioned to bring something new to the online poker market and I’m delighted to play a part”.