Biggest gaming Group on the planet | IXGAMES
Gibraltar-based gambling firm Party Gaming is in merger talks with Austrian rival Bwin, which could create the biggest egaming Group on the planet. The two companies are believed to have been engaging in private discussions over the past few months and are expected to be asked of to clarify the position when the financial markets open next week. The news will be music to the ears of Partygaming’s beleaguered investors, who saw the value of their stock plummet in 2006 when the U.S. introduced the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). At the time 90% of the players at Partygaming sites were from North America. The company has bounced back in recent years, indroducing a new online gambling products and buying up profitable sites. In stark contrast, Bwin has grown from strength to strength in Europe and are currently valued on the Vienna stock market at 1.3 million euros (£1.2m). The company’s primary strength is Sports Betting, especially in its home country of Austria. More recently it has added poker and casino to its online portfolio, which has seen player number’s grow dramatically. If the merger was to take place then it would create an online gambling group valued at around £2 billion. It could also trigger the long awaited consolidation of the internet gaming market.