The Biggest Challenges for Poker Operators and How to Solve Them

Ekaterina is a seasoned iGaming expert with over ten years of hands-on experience — from account management to heading customer success. She understands the nuances and challenges of operating a poker room. Her approach emphasises transparency, tailored solutions, and ongoing dialogue with clients. Whether you are a veteran operator or new to the online poker scene, the following insights serve as an invaluable roadmap for turning obstacles into opportunities.

Creating a unique identity

Many poker operators, especially at the beginning of their business journey, struggle to stand out in a saturated market. Too often, platforms offer near-identical interfaces, bonuses, and game mechanics, making it hard for players to distinguish between rooms. When players see little to no difference between operators, they are unlikely to develop loyalty towards the brand, and it’s easy for them to leave for another poker room just to get one more sign-up bonus.

Solution:

To stand out, operators must create a USP that resonates with poker enthusiasts. Start by developing proprietary software features — such as innovative tournament structures or exclusive game formats. Another great approach — offering tailored promotions that reward skill and commitment rather than offering generic bonuses will do much more for establishing and upholding your brand identity.

Building liquidity

Liquidity is the lifeblood of any poker platform. Without a robust player base, tables remain empty, tournaments lack a competitive edge, and the overall player experience suffers. New operators, in particular, face the daunting task of attracting sufficient players to ensure ongoing activity.

Solution:

To build liquidity, an operator needs a multi-faceted strategy. First, consider strategic partnerships — joining established poker networks or working with complementary platforms can be a good idea to share player pools. Diversifying the selection of games can also attract more players with diverse interests, while innovative formats like fast-fold or short-deck poker will act as a magnet for niche audiences.

Navigating legal complexities

Operating across different jurisdictions is always a challenge for any company, and the iGaming industry doesn’t make it easier by changing the rules too often. Each market has its own legal framework, licensing procedures, and compliance requirements. Getting a licence, securing a reliable local payment provider, and setting up strong KYC protocols need much planning, and you can’t afford to overlook any of these elements if you want to succeed as an operator.

Solution:

You need to make proactive legal planning your default strategy. Make sure you thoroughly research the legal requirements for every GEO and meet them to the letter. While software providers like EvenBet Gaming ensure their platforms obtain the necessary certifications, securing the actual licence is still the operator’s responsibility. It’s a good idea to work with local legal experts and compliance consultants who can guide this process and ensure that all procedural requirements are met before you are faced with any legal action. Other important issues that we’ll touch upon below are KYC and anti-money laundering procedures. An operator must comply with demands for both before running a business in a new country.

Fighting fraud and ensuring security

Practice shows that poker platforms are especially vulnerable to fraud, including chip dumping, bonus abuse, and collusion among players. Given that poker is a peer-to-peer game, the risk of coordinated fraudulent activities is rather high and can undermine the integrity of the whole game and gradually kill the players’ trust in the brand.

Solution:

Your security strategy has to be multi-layered because fraudulent activities take different shapes and are constantly developing — operators must be one step ahead. Advanced, preferably AI-driven fraud detection system that monitors gameplay and checks the data for unusual patterns, is a way to notice potential collusion or suspicious behaviour. Again, robust KYC/AML procedures are a must, they help you verify player identities and minimise fraudulent transactions.

Human resources-wise, your employees must be up-to-date with the latest fraud prevention and security protocols. Educating players about responsible gaming is also a worthy initiative: it helps an operator build a strong and responsible community, which in itself protects the integrity of the game.

Enhancing UX through modern design

Today, an average user experience can be fatal to a poker room’s success, because players always have a choice — a very rich selection of poker rooms they can rather visit. Clunky interfaces, slow load times, and difficult navigation will drive people away and erode your player base. And unfortunately, even a great selection of high-quality games will not save your platform from ruin.

Solution:

Investing in modern, responsive software is non-negotiable. Make sure that your platform runs as smoothly and fast as possible while sporting an appealing interface. Optimising for mobile devices is particularly critical since the already huge number of players who access poker rooms via smartphones will grow. Simplifying registration and payment processes can further boost user satisfaction. 

For fresh operators or those entering new markets, find a balance between launching your product fast and customising the design. There are many cases when operators decide on full customisation while it’s not sustainable financially. Minimal customisation — such as tweaking branding elements like colour schemes and logos makes for a faster launch, which is often more important business-wise. Deeper customisation like unique UX can be implemented later as revenue grows if it is truly justified.

Designing and running effective promotions

Promotions are not as simple a tool as they may seem. While promotions that are thought through will attract more players and add to your player retention efforts, generic promos or poorly timed offers may attract the wrong crowd like bonus hunters or insolvent players. Besides, many operators make the mistake of treating poker promotions the same as those for casino games, ignoring the unique dynamics of this skill-based and community-centric game.

Solution:

Your promotions must be tailored specifically to poker. This means not only attracting players but also rewarding their skills and consistent play. Instead of broad, generic casino bonuses, it will be wise to create tournament-specific promotions, loyalty programmes, and referral systems integrated into the player experience from their first steps.

Another crucial point is planning. When you are preparing for the launch, your promotional tools and retention mechanics must be ready long before day X. Think of deposit bonuses, rakeback, freerolls, and VIP programmes and make sure to properly test them before rolling them out for the actual players.

Building the right team for poker

Sometimes, operators who already run online casinos may be tempted to treat poker as just another game on the list. However, poker is a distinct and unique product that demands dedicated resources and focus: from tournament management to specialised fraud prevention algorithms.

Solution:

Poker is a separate product and should be treated as such by your team. First, the team in question must be dedicated to poker and know all about the game, communicating with players and game providers. Due to its complex nature, poker requires constant attention and management, for example, during tournaments when the number of available tables has to match the number of players. The employees must also learn poker-specific security measures (while your security may use AI for fraud prevention, some instances require manual checks), table setups, rake configurations, etc.

Leveraging provider support (e.g., professional training or media resources) if it’s available can greatly accelerate this learning curve. For example, EvenBet Gaming provides training sessions for operator employees, documentation and video materials, and consultations on working with operational tools.

Embracing challenges for a sustainable future

The journey to launching and maintaining a successful and profitable online poker platform is full of challenges. From creating a unique identity in a saturated market to ensuring security measures, regulatory compliance, and continuous innovation — it’s hard for operators who don’t have proper support. This is where the extensive experience of EvenBet Gaming comes in to make sure that these obstacles can be transformed into opportunities.

By implementing poker-specific solutions into every aspect of your operation — from differentiating your product and building liquidity to designing targeted promotions and fostering effective communication — you can create a platform that not only survives but thrives. Keep in mind, that treating poker as a unique product, investing in the right technology and team, and maintaining ongoing dialogue with your provider are key pillars in building a vibrant, sustainable poker room.