GreySnowPoker has an Isle of Man licence.
Almost as a footnote to the complicated and rather sad machinations of the infamous Fred Khalillian and his Poker Tribe and Poker Tribes disasters (see previous reports) the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma went fully operational with a new online poker site last week, titled GreySnowPoker.
The site operates under an Isle of Man licence with the operator listed as Ioway Internet Gaming Enterprise Ltd., based in Douglas on the Isle of Man.
InfoPowa readers will recall that ultimately Khalillian’s Universal Entertainment Group was acquired by the Monster headphones giant, which presumably supplied the technology to the tribe, dumping the tainted Poker Tribe brand for Grey Snow Poker.
In a press statement the operator pledges that online poker players will enjoy fair and rake-free play at GreySnowPoker, “a brand-new gaming site launched by the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma through its Isle of Man gaming license.”
GreySnowPoker is the first Native American owned site to operate under a gaming licence issued by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervisory Commission, the operator claims.
The new platform opened for real-money and play-money games after extensive beta-testing (see previous InfoPowa reports) and in an innovative pricing move, the site will be rake free. Rake is traditionally removed from every cash game pot, but GreySnowPoker has introduced a service-fee product called FairPlay.
Players pay just one flat fee equivalent to 3 percent of their stack when they leave the table.
This means that if two players sit down with $100 each in a cash game, the total service-fee will be $6 regardless of how many hands or hours are played.
“It is entirely possible then that these two players can play heads up indefinitely without rake eating up their stacks. Tournament fees are also targeted to be some of the lowest in the industry,” the operator promises.
In a second move towards fairness, GSP has introduced a FairPlay lobby, where a smooth seating logic automatically manages seating behaviour, prevents data mining, and restricts table observation. GSP believes that behaviours such as ‘bum hunting’ are against the spirit of the game.
The operator has brought in highly experienced management in the form of George McIntosh, an industry veteran who has worked in management positions with companies like Ongame Network, bwin and PokerStars; McIntyosh has been appointed managing director and said in a press statement:
“We hope to shake up the online poker scene by changing the playing experience for the better. Our FairPlay service fee and automatic table seating will make games more user-friendly for recreational players, leading the way in integrity, innovation, fairness and fun.
“All in all, our FairPlay model should lead to longer time at the table, giving longer to learn, and a longer time that your cash lasts for. Coupled with random seating, we think that the playing environment will make it more fun, more thrilling and a more level playing-field than other sites.”
The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma operates four land-based casinos in Oklahoma; Bobby Walkup, chairman of the tribe, said: “It’s time for a new type of poker room to come along, made by poker lovers, and recognizing what’s best for poker.”
The online poker site is unavailable in the United States of America, as well as individually licensed countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Portugal, France and others. It is available for real money poker in Latin America, Canada, Germany, Russia and other jurisdictions that fall under the Isle of Man Gaming Licence.