PokerStars announced that it has officially joined the Portuguese Online Betting and Gambling Association (APAJO) as its newest affiliate member.
As one of the first brands launching in the Portuguese regulated market, the Flutter Entertainment subsidiary says it will combine forces with other market leaders within APAJO – the only trade association to represent entities operating with a local license – including Betano, Betclic, Bwin, Casino Portugal, ESC Online and Solverde.
“APAJO is pleased to welcome into its group one of the leading international brands and an operator which has been in the market since 2016. We look forward to working with PokerStars to promote an entertaining, safe, and sustainable environment for online gambling in Portugal” commented Ricardo Domingues, President of the Board of APAJO.
“APAJO has ambitious plans for 2023 and PokerStars will play an important role in driving these forwards. We also would like to use this opportunity to renew our invitation to the other licensed operators to join”, added Domingues.
João Saraiva, Planning & Strategy Manager for Portugal at PokerStars, said: “We are delighted to join APAJO and look forward to sharing our expertise from other licensed jurisdictions to support APAJO in promoting a responsible and safe play environment. We have high ambitions for this market, and we can’t wait to start working together with APAJO.”
APAJO has been working on many fronts since its creation in 2018. Representing its locally licensed members in regulator, government, and legislator discussions, it also developed a Responsible Gambling Manual, with members committing to additional measures to the ones required by law.
The trade body has also been proactively engaged in the future outlook of online gambling advertising in Portugal, having joined the Portuguese advertisers association, the national advertisement self-regulatory organization, as well as recently becoming a signatory of a European Commission-led MoU on Online Advertising.
The news follows a busy start of the year for PokerStars, which keeps growing its footprint in the US and elsewhere. In March this year, following the start of the 2023 Formula 1 season in Bahrain, PokerStars and racing team Oracle Red Bull Racing announced that their partnership will continue for the second year running.
