European Poker Business Roundup
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
PriceWaterhouseCooper predict that the online gaming market will
grow 100% to $5.1bn by 2010, despite the loss of the US market. The
Microgaming network seems to add company after company to its list,
which now runs into the 40’s, and the latest is P
PriceWaterhouseCooper predict that the online gaming market will
grow 100% to $5.1bn by 2010, despite the loss of the US market. The
Microgaming network seems to add company after company to its list,
which now runs into the 40’s, and the latest is PaxPoker, part of
Bravo Poker, who have had great success in Sweden. Another
Malta-based company which has recently joined Microgaming is
Apuestas.com (bets.com), which has done well in its Spanish
base-market, and is now looking to expand into the English-speaking
sector, where Microgaming’s multi-lingual platform will suit it
well.
Microgaming rival, CryptoLogic, is now running a platform for
‘headhunter’ poker games. Played like any other poker game, the
headhunter incentive partitions the prize pool into money that can
be won as usual, and money that is won for knocking out other
players. The more players you knock out, the larger the ‘bounty’ on
your head, making you a target for other players. The game will
debut at online poker room, InterPoker.
Closure of the US online gaming market prompted CryptoLogic to
move from Canada to Dublin, as 90% of its market is European. It is
now incorporation in Guernsey. The final stage of the relocation is
a listing on the London Stock Exchange. Approval has been granted
and CryptoLogic will trade under the symbol CRP. Shareholders will
retain voting rights, irrespective of their location.
However, not all poker sites are booming: Full Contact Poker has
left the Digital Gaming Network to merge with PokerStars, and will
revert to its roots as a discussion forum. Frequent player accounts
are now locked, but once authenticated, balances can be transferred
to PokerStars.