Poker News

Mobile poker could be entirely browser-based in the future because of restrictive regulations on real-money poker apps, experts claimed today.

It came as the Bam Software Group released the first fully compatible iPhone and Android compatible poker client, Bam Pkr, which you can see above.

Although Bam Pkr is a play money game, it is the first online multiplayer poker client that does not require the Apple Store's approval.

And industry insiders believe in-browser solutions could take-off in the next six months as gaming companies become increasingly frustrated with the complex rules of the app marketplace.

One senior developer for a major poker site at the ICE e-gaming conference in London told Poker Jolt: "The Bam release is interesting because it supports all browsers and can be used on all handsets and doesn't require approval from Apple, or anybody else.

"All gaming sites want a bigger share of the mobile market, but the directives governing App Store releases are, in our opinion, excessively restrictive.

"The approval process can take a very long time and seem quite arbitrary. There are also, geographically, some regulatory issues which Apple in particular seem to be very nervous of.

"An in-browser client that is fast, clear and delivers a good player experience has to be the most viable alternative.

"This could easily be the direction we all take in the future, especially when the 4G network comes along."

As well as working on both the iPhone and Android, Bam's free poker client can be used on the iPad and other tablets as well as the iPod.

Browsers supported include Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, FireFox, Opera, and Safari.

The software is intended as a B2B release for licensing by free poker sites, although poker players are able to play directly themselves at bampkr.com.

Last week Microgaming announced they were set to release a real-money poker app for Android. Their app will be compatible with Android v2.2 devices, including the HTC Desire Smartphone and Samsung Galaxy tablet.

A few days earlier bwin launched the first real money poker app on the iPhone, although it is currently only available in the UK and Austria.