Bwin.fr’s poker network merges with the partypoker France network signifying the potential end of the Ongame network in the regulated French market.
It’s on.
After months of talk, Bwin.party is finally shifting the bwin.FR brand to the partypoker France network after months of expectation.
Pokerfuse scribe, Nick Jones, reportedly picked up the news on the companies official Facebook page, and believes that the move will see the two players pools merge onto the partypoker software.
“That’s great news,” said Parisian poker player and businessman Jeremy Nock, “The partypoker software is better and smoother than the previous Bwin software.”
Bwin have remained on the Ongame network since selling it to Amaya Gaming back in 2012 and their departure now leaves tumbleweed rolling down the halls of the cyber space that cost the Canadian outfit over €15 million just two years ago.
Partypoker France is currently the third largest network in the regulated French market, with Winamax and PokerStars leading the way. The merger is a positive step in bwin.party’s attempt to gain traction on the leading two, in a market that has been increasingly difficult to squeeze a profit out of.
“Online sites in France have been reducing their guaranteed online tournaments because of a reduced numbers of players. It seems the regulated markets kill the action due to increased taxation. The dream of winning a huge score is diminishing. The max you can win in France, during an online tourney, is around €25K,” said Nock.
The move comes after bwin.party digital entertainment delivered a crushing H1 report that showed revenues down 7.5%, earnings down 23% and an operating loss of €100.4 million.
The news from that report was the European focus would be on the bwin brand with partypoker and the World Poker Tour dominating their thoughts in the US market.
This weekend saw the servers crash during partypoker’s inaugural Garden State Super Series (GSSS) online poker series, in New Jersey, resulting in the companies Director of Poker, Jeffrey Haas, publishing an apology to the players stating they “had been humbled by this experience and appreciate the inconvenience and lack of confidence experienced by our players, and are so sorry.”
