International Game Technology has confirmed the inevitable shut down of what was once the Entraction network blaming changes in the regulatory climate in Europe. In a telephone interview with Bloomberg, CEO Patti Hart admitted that a shift “from dot.com to dot.country”, something we looked at last month, has meant “there’s less profitability and the product becomes less interesting”. The IGT Network, as it became known, has closed barely a year after it was bought by IGT for an overinflated price of $115million.
Hart went on to say that companies wanting to offer online poker in the U.S. will “have to look at their own economics. It’s much more challenged when it’s a single state”. Hart’s complaints about a move from dot.com to dot.country are surprising as two of the countries they pulled out of, France and Italy, had already either moved over or were in the process of doing so before IGT acquired Entraction. What effect the move will have on their grand plan for the US market is unclear and it looks like Double Down Casino will now take on even more importance.
iGame Malta has agreed to join the Microgaming Poker Network after last week confirming its departure from the IGT Poker Network. As part of the deal their 24hPoker, Pokerihuone and Casinohuone brands will move over to Microgaming with some one million players coming with them. The Malta and Denmark licensed company is just the first of many to move over, if the sentiments of Microgaming’s head of network games, Lydia Melton, are to be believed. She told eGR they are in “Advanced discussions with a number of other major operators looking to join the Microgaming Poker Network,” before adding “We look forward to announcing more operators joining the network in the near future.”
Poker services site Macropoker.com has opened its doors to the international public at large giving professional and novice players a chance to interact. The site, which is built with a social feel, allows players to interact and learn new aspects of the game. As well as the Macropoker Calculator, which helps to analyse hands, there is a tournament calendar, database of hands, a ‘poker academy’ and educational videos with the promise of more content coming soon.
