In conjunction with the government of Estonia, PokerStars has launched its third country-specific gaming site. The newest entry, PokerStars.ee, “complies fully with Estonian law and enables the country’s residents to continue playing at the world’s largest poker site and to qualify for the biggest live events across the globe, such as the PokerStars European Poker Tour,” according to a recent press release.

“There are thousands of good poker players in Estonia and I am very glad that the license enables them to continue competing at the largest poker site with players all over the world,” said Michael Holmberg, PokerStars’ Nordic & Baltic Director of Marketing. “PokerStars has been the most popular poker room among Estonian players for several years, and with the licensing system now put in place in Estonia, I am convinced the country shows the way for many other EU nations in terms of regulation.”

Following the launches of sites in France and Italy, the Estonian version of PokerStars marks another step forward in the global legalization and regulation of the online gaming industry. But is this current method really the best available option?

While on these country-specific sites may at first seem to be a good idea, issues have arisen regarding their exclusivity and price. France’s PokerStars.fr, specifically, raised several red flags throughout the poker community. The main sticking points for players can be summarized in two ways: First, the fact that only users from a certain country may operate within the software has resulted in severely decreased player pools. Combine this reduction in available money to the higher rake imposed in order to pay off the government taxes, and it becomes extremely difficult for even the most devout of players to turn a profit.

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