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.