Unibet Poker Platform Garners IGA Poker Operator of the Year Honors
Kindred Group (previously Unibet Group) received the Poker Operator of the Year award at the IGA ceremony in central London on Monday — a first for the company. The award specifically recognizes the platform that powers Unibet Poker and PokeriHuone, built by Relax Gaming.
Unibet initially launched the platform in March 2014 when the company decided to leave the Microgaming network in order to put into effect a philosophy more focused on new and recreational players. This new platform was built using Adobe Air, but a second iteration using bespoke technology developed by Relax was launched in December 2016, and it is this version of the platform that helped capture the honors.
Kindred Group has seen success with the new platform, reporting consecutive year on year growth since 2014. Their poker revenue in 2017 surpassed for the first time pre-launch revenue figures.
Other Changes
Along with the platform overhaul in 2014, Unibet Poker replaced the former loyalty system with Missions and Challenges in an attempt to ‘gamify’ online poker and focus on casual and new players. The company also took protective measures like outlawing third-party software and scripts and implementing a quick-seat lobby where players are assigned to seats in cash games and SNGs, to prevent predatory behavior like “bum-hunting.”
Unibet Poker also tried their hand at a competitive MTT offering for the first time, launching a new MTT schedule in October 2017. In addition, the company continues to host Unibet Open events and local tours that serve as an access point for players across Europe.
David Pomroy, Head of Poker at Kindred commented, “We’re delighted with this award and are happy that Kindred has been recognized for helping to push online poker in a positive, much-needed direction. This is very much a passion project for all involved and only motivates us further to continue on a path which we feel brings real value to poker players, new and established alike. We hope 2018 will be a year of highs for us as we continue to improve on a platform built according to the original Unibet motto of ‘By Players, For Players’.”
