Top UK poker ace and Pokerstars professional player, Victoria Coren-Mitchell, has announced on her blog that she and Pokerstars have agreed an amicable parting of the ways following the announcement by the online poker provider that it is to introduce casino games to its offering.
Coren revealed that she terminated her 7-year relationship with the company immediately she heard the news, explaining that it was a matter of personal principle and that she drew a distinction between poker and casino action.
She commented that poker was essentially a fair proposition in which “…we all take each other on with the same basic chance”, whilst “…casino games at unfavorable odds can be (especially online) dangerous for the vulnerable or desperate.”
Coren emphasised that her decision was in no way a criticism of Pokerstars:
“They are providing a new service that people want, and I know they intend to abide by some key principles of responsible gaming,” she wrote, commenting that nevertheless she cannot professionally and publicly endorse the new offerings.
Indicating the mutual respect between Coren and the management at Pokerstars, the company’s communications chief, Eric Hollreiser, said:
“We respect Victoria Coren’s decision to leave Team PokerStars Pro following our recent announcement to add casino games. We’re sad to see Vicky go and remain thankful for her support of the game and the company and wish her success in poker and in life.”
Coren added: “Maybe in the future I will be able to work with PokerStars again on something which is pure poker. I don’t know, but certainly there are no hard feelings between me and that company which has done so much for the beautiful game over the last decade.
“They have been gracious and understanding about my decision. Many of the people there are good friends of mine and I’ll miss working with them. The EPT and UKIPT are great tours which I will continue to play, if a little less often. I have had seven wonderful years as a proud member of Team Pro and I wish it wasn’t over. This is a very sad and regretful day for me. I still believe that PokerStars is, at time of writing, the best place to play online poker.”