As online poker continues to evolve, the industry has also become increasingly competitive, with operators fighting to grab a bigger share of the market. PokerStars dominated the market for over a decade, being the undisputed online poker site in the world. But things have changed now, as the operator is facing tough competition from an industry newcomer GGPoker.
Is GGPoker The Number One Poker Site Now?
Constant innovation, listening to customer feedback, securing key partnerships, and having the courage to move away from the traditional systems in favor of a more modern approach have catapulted GGPoker from obscurity to being one of the leading online poker sites across the globe. It only launched in 2014, mainly catering to the Asian markets, but has managed to move to the international scene in 2017, and the rest is history.
Figures for June released by online poker traffic monitor PokerScout show that GGPoker attracts a seven-day average of 5,000 cash game players, making it the biggest online poker site in the world, overtaking long-time leader PokerStars which is recording a seven-day average of 4,800 cash game players.
Certainly, PokerStars needs to look for ways on how it can reclaim its status, and one of them is attracting more recreational players to the site. To achieve that goal, the operator is boosting its MicroMillions series, a festival designed for low-stakes players.
Newest MicroMillions Series Offers $10M in Guarantees     
PokerStars is running a new edition of its popular MicroMillions Series this July. The operator will host three separate festivals for its dot-com players, as well as those in Southern Europe (comprised of France, Spain, and Portugal), and Italy.
The dot-com series will take place from July 15-27, featuring 122 tournaments. The Southern Europe edition, running from July 18 to August 1, features 174 tournaments headlined by a €250,000 GTD Main Event. It will run simultaneously with the Italian series which features 90 tournaments, including a €150,000 GTD Main Event. More than $10 million in guaranteed prize money is up for grabs across the three festivals.
Back in February, PokerStars ran a “marathon” edition of MicroMillions for its global client, offering more than $3 million across 107 events. The festival was condensed into four days, running from February 11-14.
PokerStars is upping the ante for the latest edition of the series, putting up $4.5 million in guarantees for its dot-com players. The schedule features two $1M GTD tournaments – the $11 buy-in Sunday Storm Anniversary on July 18, and the $22 buy-in Main Event on July 25.
PokerStars vs. GGPoker
With the huge value on offer for small-stakes grinders via MicroMillions, PokerStars is poised to continue to attract a significant number of players, which will help in its efforts to keep ahead of the competition.
Recently, the online poker giant also announced that it’s trialing a new rewards system, reinstating its traditional volume-based rewards program. The new scheme offers increased cashback of up to 65%, similar to the Supernova Elite level which was scrapped years ago. PokerStars said the decision to introduce major changes to its rewards program is in response to customer feedback.
It remains to be seen how the new scheme will affect PokerStars’ market status, but it’s clear that the operator wants to win back the hearts of its high-volume players who were certainly disappointed when the Supernova VIP scheme was terminated. The trial phase will conclude in September, and if everything goes according to plan, the new rewards system will be rolled out thereafter.
Meanwhile, GGPoker has continued to come up with innovative offerings, including its newest game Flip & Go.  The operator has also extended its partnership with the World Series of Poker (WSOP). GGPoker’s collaboration with the WSOP has made a big contribution to the operator’s current success.
Add to that the massive tournaments that the site has consistently hosted, keeping the interest of players. Of course, GGPoker’s success didn’t come without challenges, but the operator always managed to overcome them.
Will PokerStars be able to regain its status as the biggest online poker site in the world? Only time will tell!