Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Launches GreySnowPoker.com

Home » Poker News » Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Launches GreySnowPoker.com

Wednesday, June 6th, 2018 | Written by Lucy Brown

The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma currently operates two brick-and-mortar casino in the Sooner State, but has long entertained the possibility of offering real money gambling over the internet. After trying to launch PokerTribe.com in 2015, however, the site has been subjected to numerous technical delays and lawsuits, not least on account of its association with Fereidoun “Fred” Khalilian, whose past litany of indiscretions include being convicted for telemarketing fraud.

Almost three years later, and the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma has now launched a site to replace PokerTribe.com called GreySnowPoker.com, with the new domain a reference to the tribe’s name in their own native language, with the word Baxoje (Bah Kho-je) translating into ‘People of the Grey Snow’. Although many details are sketchy at the moment, what is known is that the new poker site is licensed by the Isle of Man’s Gambling Supervision Commission, and is not authorized for players outside of its online gaming jurisdiction.

GreySnowPoker.com

GreySnowPoker.com is currently in its beta testing phase, with its software already available for download. While its homepage message encourages players to sign up for a new account, it also stipulates that US residents are not presently allowed to play for real-money on the site.

As stated on the poker website, GreySnowPoker will be used “to increase awareness of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma across the globe, as well as promoting and supporting the rights of all North America’s indigenous peoples.” Nevertheless, the site acknowledges the challenges it will face trying to build up its player base and liquidity, and as is written on the site:

“You won’t find the largest number of games or the most players. What you’ll find is a great selection of tournaments and cash games played on great looking tables.”

As part of its marketing efforts, GreySnowPoker.com further encourages people to follow the site via its fledgling Facebook and Twitter pages.

Integrity, Trust and Fair Play

On its “About Us” page, Iowa Tribe Chairman Bobby Walkup writes that his tribe is thrilled to launch the “most exciting poker site on the planet.” He also mentions that players can rest assured that they will be competing on a site where “integrity, trust and fair play” are key considerations, stating:

“We want you to feel safe playing poker and hope your experience at the tables is heightened knowing that security goes hand in hand with enjoyment.”

Mysteries Remain

Beyond that already mentioned, more detailed information concerning the new site still remains very much a mystery. Fereidoun “Fred” Khalilian, for instance, owned the software that powered the previous site, PokerTribe.com, and it is not known whether the President and COO of Monster Inc is still involved in the new project.

While GreySnowPoker has said that it was using its own internal software, the Isle of Man’s gaming regulator seems to contradict the claim after disclosing that the site is in fact being powered by a third-party. Nonetheless, the regulator did confirm that the software has been thoroughly tested and is deemed to be of a “sufficient standard.”

Challenges Ahead

The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma’s online poker project has faced numerous challenges and set backs since its inception in 2015. This includes having to overcome objections raised by the state of Oklahoma, which was only resolved in April of 2016 after a federal district court in Oklahoma City approved the move. This then allowed Bobby Walkup and tribal
representatives to visit and apply for a license from the Isle of Man regulator in February 2017, with final approval subsequently received in June of 2017. As far as its new domain name is concerned, it has been speculated that the PokerTribe.com name change to GreySnowPoker.com may have been a condition set before the regulator was prepared to grant the tribe licensing approval.

Once GreySnowPoker.com does finally get off the ground, however, there are still more daunting hurdles that lay ahead. Outside of its own land, for instance, it will be restricted to just those US states that currently have legal online poker markets, namely Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Moreover, any attempts to crack international markets will likely be extremely difficult as poker players currently have numerous online poker sites available to choose from worldwide.