PKR has shut down due to “financial issues”. Microgaming, the gaming software company that supports PKR, has stated that they have “suspended gaming on PKR.com” and are awaiting “more information”. PKR has filed an application to the Court of Administration Orders, possibly for bankruptcy. As of this moment, players are unable to withdraw funds they had on the site and, given the history of sites like Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, it seems unlikely that players will be able to retrieve their funds any time soon. PKR players are advised to email the PKR support team at support@pkr.com.
The Alderney-based poker site was best known for pioneering 3D poker which made them one of the fastest-growing online poker rooms in the late 2000s. Their 3D character models and tables reproduced the experience of playing poker at a casino, allowing players to customise their avatar and control their body language. While this certainly proved popular amongst recreational players, PKR’s popularity dwindled over the next few years as players moved to larger sites, some of which also offer 3D poker.
It is hard to tell why PKR was not able to maintain the popularity it found in the late 2000s. A likely reason was that, being limited to a certain numbers of countries, it was not able to acquire a global player base (Apple only allowed the PKR app to be listed in a handful of countries) and they did not have a browser app. The market has become more competitive as gambling sites such as BetOnline have launched their own poker clients, available to players anywhere in the world. Players may be moving to Bitcoin poker rooms that have lower rake and free banking, or may simply prefer to player poker faster than 3D poker allows. Whatever the reason, there is certainly no shortage of other good poker websites to play at.
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