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The headline event, a €350 Main Event, attracted a record 96 entries and generated a €27,677 prize pool. After three days of competition, Giedre Valgemäe from Lithuania won first place and received €5,690 along with a custom golden necklace. The win added to her summer success, having previously taken the OlyBet Poker GG Masters title.
Industry Growth Reflected in Online and Live Trends
Organizers stated that the Queens of Tallinn reflected wider momentum in women’s poker across Europe. The online sector was also seeing increased interest. The European online gambling market has generated roughly €48 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2024, equivalent to approximately USD 52 billion, and was forecast to grow further.
This is part of a broader global growth trend, including in the United States. The U.S. online gambling market was estimated at around USD 12.7 billion in 2024 and was expected to reach USD 13.9 billion in 2025. According to iGaming expert Wilna van Wyk, the latest launches in 2025 in the U.S. are frequent and are designed to enhance the gambling experience by offering larger bonuses, faster payment processes, and broader game libraries. It is often through online platforms like these that many players begin to build their skills, gain experience, and eventually transition into live tournament settings such as Queens of Tallinn.
Building a Festival Model for Women
According to Teresa Nousiainen, Poker Tournament Director at Olympic Entertainment Group, the idea for Queens of Tallinn followed naturally from the Kings of Tallinn festival, which she had helped develop over a decade earlier. She noted that when the first edition launched three years ago, there had been uncertainty about turnout, but the response was reportedly strong from the beginning.
Nousiainen explained that her vision for the festival rejected the model of token ladies’ tournaments that were added as small side events during larger festivals. She said the goal was to offer women the same level of structure and prestige found in open-field events, with a complete schedule including mixed games and other variants.
Christer Larsson, Group Poker Director at OlyBet, shared similar views. He stated that many events around the world offered women’s tournaments with minimal buy-ins, which he felt diminished their importance. Larsson emphasized that the Queens of Tallinn aimed to do something different by making women the focus of the entire festival schedule.
Elevating the Standard for Women’s Poker
Nousiainen questioned long-standing assumptions about what kinds of poker formats women preferred. She explained that her experience told a different story, with many women expressing interest in high-structure events and a variety of games. She reiterated that the festival’s model was not based on limiting options but expanding them.
Larsson concluded that the Queens of Tallinn was meaningful because it created space for women to compete at a high level while also enjoying the social aspects of live events. He said the smiling faces and sense of friendship were what made the event so important to him personally.
Live Streaming and Competitive Integrity
Nousiainen reported that the final table of the Main Event was streamed live on YouTube, using the same production approach applied to major open tournaments. Larsson added that the quality of play had improved noticeably over the years. He cited Jenny Westerlund’s recent win at the 2025 WSOPC Tallinn Main Event as evidence that women participating in these events could compete and succeed at the highest levels.
Team Events and Inclusive Design
One of the more unique aspects of the Queens of Tallinn was the inclusion of a team competition, which mirrored a similar format used in the Kings of Tallinn. Teams of three players accumulated points across various events, with the top team receiving 2 percent of the Main Event prize pool. According to Larsson, the format was designed to help players interact more closely, and even those who arrived without a team were able to join one before the second break in the Main Event.
Looking Ahead
The increasing visibility of events like Queens of Tallinn contributes to the legacy of the top female players of all time, many of whom began by challenging expectations in exactly these types of spaces.
Tallinn’s becoming a real hotspot for poker, and the Queens of Tallinn festival is a big part of that. What started as a unique idea is now a full-blown, go-to event for women in competitive poker. From these reports, the event is welcoming, well-run, and getting more and more attention every year. With more players coming in from around the world and backing from well-known names like Nousiainen and Larsson, it looks like the festival’s just going to keep growing.
