Poker revenues at PokerStars fell by 10% in the third quarter of this year, it has emerged.

The figure is revealed in a trading update from parent company Flutter Entertainment covering the three months ended September 30.

Overall, Flutter, which also owns Paddy Power, Betfair, SkyBet as well as other brands, said its performance had ‘exceeded expectations’ as the gambling giant attracted increased numbers of customers.

PokerStars’ quarter three revenue increased overall by 5%, thanks to growth in its casino and sports arms.

But the Flutter report points out: ‘Poker revenues declined 10%, returning to pre-Covid run-rates.

‘This decline however was more than offset by a stronger performance in casino.

‘We stepped up our generosity during the period and enhanced CRM (customer relationship management) initiatives implemented in July helped to deliver this more efficiently, improving the user experience with early signs of a positive response from customers. This marks the beginning of our long-term strategy to invest more in both customer value and product.’

Flutter and the Stars Group merged this year after the deal was cleared by the Competition and Markets Authority.

We reported in September that PokerStars had decided to exit Chinese-language markets, just days after Flutter announced plans to improve Stars’ compliance standards.

Last month we reported exclusively that a leading manager at PokerStars who played a vital role in the ’mega merger’ with Flutter was leaving the company.

Guy Templer was one of the longest serving members of the executive team at the world’s biggest online poker business. A source in the island’s online gaming industry said Mr Templer’s leaving was a shock because Mr Templer had been a key part of the PokerStars story in the island.

Commenting on the quarter three report, Peter Jackson, Flutter chief executive, said: ‘We are now a truly global business with significant scale.’