PokerDom entered the online poker market in 2014 with little fanfare or press, but in less than 18 months it has acquired cash games traffic that rivals any regulated room in the US.
PokerDom launched last summer under its license issued by Curacao and immediately targeted players in CIS countries, mainly that of Russia. Since Internet gambling is prohibited under President Vladimir Putin’s regime, residents have turned to gray operators for their online poker.
Understanding that a need was present, PokerDom catered to Russian-speaking poker fans and the investment paid off. According to PokerScout, the room now boasts a seven-day average of 200 occupied seats at any given time and a 24-hour record peak of 451 players. That makes it the 33rd most popular poker room in the world, a rather notable accomplishment for a site that’s still a relative newcomer.
Formula for Success
Since the beginning of 2015, the network has grown exponentially, with traffic up 45 percent. While legal networks in New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada struggle, PokerDom is seeing great expansion due to a variety of incentives and programs tailored to its market.
Players can compete through a web-based application, downloaded PC desktop or Mac client, or play on any Android device. Due to its standing as a second-world country with citizens earning rather low incomes, small stakes games played in rubles are readily available, with some buy-ins as low as eight cents.
The site also provides a variety of promotions to retain customers and bring in new gamblers. They include:
Sign-up bonus: PokerDom doubles a player’s first deposit up to 75,000 rubles ($1,123).
Best Daily Hand: Every 12 hours, the strongest hand played on the network receives a 20,000 RUB ($300) bonus.
Bad Beat Jackpot: Go all-in with a full house only to lose to four of a kind? Players who experience tough losses are entered to win the bad beat pot.
VIP Rakeback: A tiered program that gives VIPs up to a 35 percent rakeback.
Combo Boost Race: A current event running February 26 to March 22 that is a fast-fold variant of Texas hold’em where players earn points by winning, losing, and folding on specific hands. 200,000 RUB ($3,200) will be paid out to the top 20 finishers.
Expansion Coming?
PokerDom appears to be a very well funded company. From its smooth graphics and flashy interface to multi-currency availability and international banking transaction support, the site has all the bells and whistles to go globally. It’s also conveniently translated from Russian to English, perhaps a tipping of its hand regarding its next move. While trying to enter the US would seem to be an improbable goal, PokerDom is expected to spread its reach should its sustained growth continue.
PokerDom already has more cash players than US online networks WSOP in Nevada and New Jersey’s Party Borgata. WSOP & 888poker in NJ remain ahead of PokerDom, but only by 20 players on the weekly average. With a variety of marketing techniques geared to all types of gamblers, PokerDom’s persuasion methods have paid off by way of increased traffic and revenues, a formula that networks in the US might consider copying.
