While no specific launch date was provided, VentureBeat reported that Zynga’s plan is to present UK Facebook members with options to switch from traditional virtual-play versions of its popular Zynga Poker and casino products to the real-money version. Choosing this option will transfer the player to a separate application based on Bwin.party’s UK-licensed online gambling product. While the real-money app will retain Zynga’s social aspects, it will have a different visual interface in order to clearly distinguish itself from the play-money version. Players will also have to deposit real-money with Bwin in order to play the real-money app.
The renewed real-money emphasis comes shortly after it was revealed that Zynga had lost its social game publishing crown to Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE), whose Playtika and Buffalo Studios titles claimed 18.6% of the social game market while Zynga slipped to 15%. Now market researchers AppData have revealed that rival social game developers King have usurped Zynga’s spot atop Facebook’s monthly active user charts. In the most recent rankings, King boasted 150.2m users of games like Candy Crush Saga, narrowly edging out Zynga’s 149.9m tally. King’s conquest is all the more impressive considering it began life with a mobile focus and only began offering Facebook versions of its games two years ago. Zynga, meanwhile, is frantically playing catch-up in the mobile sphere.