PokerStars in US TV deals

PokerStars has signed a deal to provide a play-for-free poker site to two of the US leading sports networks ESPN and FOX Sports.

The PokerStars.net poker portal and game application on FOXSports.com will provide a free-play poker client as well as news, tournament results, poker strategy and rules.

And PokerStars said it would provide its 'state of the art' software to ESPN beginning in November building on the relationship the two firms have through PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge and Big Game TV shows.

ESPN Poker Club is a free-play site, which has been running on the site for almost five years, while Fox Sports has no current poker content on its site.

But both deals are likely to raise some eyebrows among operators eyeing up future partnerships in a regulated US market.

PokerStars.net North America Regional Marketing Director, Joe Versaci, said he was looking forward to 'establishing more product innovation with ESPN in the future.'

Fox Sports has a deal to broadcast the PartyGaming-owned WPT for the next three seasons, which has previously featured Full Tilt as a title sponsor.

Jim Bernard, Vice President of Gaming at FOX Sports Interactive, said the partnership would deliver 'the poker experience to our 26 million users'.