PokerStars are set to dominate the online gambling space in the Czech Republic after becoming the first international player to receive a license to operate in the country.

Thanks to the sterling efforts of Leon Tsoukernik and his team at the King’s Casino, the Czech Republic is arguably the home of live poker in Europe. It’s time this beautiful part of the world had an online operation to match.

In the summer, Czech gaming officials took a tractor to the online gambling landscape when they created a new regulatory system that demanded thorough vetting of all online operators, ending in the issuance of a rather expensive license.

Everything changed on Jan 1, 2017, but Czech officials were a little slow getting their act together, and it wasn’t until the twilight of 2016 that the likes of William Hill picked up their tents and moved out of the country, vowing to return after ticking all the new boxes.