Online casino operator takes a gamble

With very little of consequence to report in our regular Irish casino news feature, we thought our readers might be interested in the news that a major online casino operator is itself taking a gamble. In the wake of the high profile prosecution of three cricketers for match fixing, generally blamed on the fact that gambling is illegal in many countries, gambling laws are being reviewed in many counties including the US. In 2006 America passed legislation banning online gaming, with the result that the major online casino operators, including Bwin Party the world’s biggest online gaming company, immediately withdrew from the American market. Last week however, Bwin Party announced plans to tie up with two American casino operators in anticipation of the US finally lifting their ban, enabling the new group Federal NewCo to apply for a gaming licence from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. We are told that the new company would operate under Bwin’s  World Poker Tour and Party Poker brands, and that a separate deal has also been done under which the two American casino operators, MGM and Boyd Gaming, would use Bwin Party’s online poker technology under their own brands. Some may argue that for most of us this side of the Atlantic who enjoy playing our casino games at our favourite online casinos, such news is irrelevant, but we believe that it is in everyone’s interest that these online casino operators continue to become strong financially so that they can invest in new technology and provide us with even more exciting and well presented online casino gambling options. On the same topic, 888 Holdings also reported their third quarter results last week, with a massive 42% growth in sales to £54 million equating to an equally impressive 26% growth in sales for the nine months to date. With most of this increase coming from a steep rise in the number of new active customer accounts, 888 Holdings also appear to be an online casino operator with a strong future.