UK poker tournaments have always been very attractive to poker players from all over the world. According to the British gambling law that was not changed for more than 300 years, casinos could not charge the players for participation and all money went to prize pools, making these UK poker tournaments literally free. But there was also a negative side. As casinos could not charge the player, they have little interest in running these tournaments. At most tournaments, all games except the final table ran without a dealer. The satellites worked badly, as the players had an option to take money instead of the seat, and the prize pools were poor.
That system had been changed and they charge players for up to 10% of the buy-in. This change upset some players who used to play for free, but it made UK poker tournaments more rentable for the casinos, which is expected to give positive results, such as improved conditions, more organized satellites and more money on prize pool. And there will be competent dealers on each game.
Nowadays in Europe there is at least one poker tournament running each week, and the operations need to be careful not to clash their events with others. European poker is quite young and still healthy. There are very high rollers who wander the continent in search of poker action, and they also have a limited amount of money. There are between 150 to 200 poker rooms in Europe which range from small two-three table clubs to big poker venues with a dozen of tables and more. England and Austria are two European countries with the highest popularity of poker. However, the popularity of poker is quickly growing all across Europe and there are already signs of tough competition between its poker venues, which supports the growth of a larger player base.