Will European Internet Gambling operators realign to meet the common threat?
Online gambling operators seem to move closer to each other, making astute maneuvers and getting new people on stage with the common goal of bringing stability to online gambling and struggling with the gambling restrictive policy of US and certain European States.
According to Reuters, Britain's PartyGaming said on Thursday its daily online poker revenues had recovered to $721,000 after falling to a daily low of around $637,000 after the United States banned Internet gambling in October.
PartyGaming said that excluding sports betting, overall daily poker revenue in the four weeks to Dec. 11 averaged approximately $921,000.
Does that imply the recovery of online poker for the industry? Of course, PartyGaming is the giant – one of the online gambling titans with a dense presence on virtually all niches of the internet gambling market. However at the same time, the UIGEA passed early this October had significantly suppressed the vital force of another well known European gambling brand – Austria based online betting venue - bwin (former BetandWin).
In November 2006, bwin had declined the rumors regarding its sale to PartyGaming. Reuters reported Karin Klein, spokeswoman for bwin saying that "We are talking to PartyGaming, like with all other big firms, about lobbying together to show a united stance for the industry in the European Union." "But we are not talking to PartyGaming about a sale."
“Bwin is currently fighting a ban imposed by three German federal states on commercial betting in its key market and is also revising its marketing and sponsorship strategy. In October, the company stopped accepting customers from the U.S. after the country passed a ban on internet gambling.”
Today, bwin is about to write off 500 millions of euros on the US online poker room that’s been purchased early in the year. That is going to be a big loss and the management of bwin is already moving toward alternative marketing strategy and orientation on the European an Asian markets.
Online gambling operators seem to move closer to each other, making astute maneuvers and getting new people on stage with the common goal of bringing stability to online gambling and struggling with the gambling restrictive policy of US and certain European States.
