Three new sites sign up Ongame Italian Poker Network
5/6/10 – Bwin subsidiary Ongame has added three new partners to its dedicated Italian regional online poker network, growing the roll call to 10 partners holding Italian operating licenses.
May 2010 sees the migration of MatchGames and TOBS to Ongame Network’s P5 Poker Engine, with Casino Italia following in June.
Ongame launched its 5-million player-strong dedicated Italian poker network in April, featuring BetPro.it, Bwin-Gioco Digitale, Casino de Venezia, Fast Poker and Sportingbet.it (see previous InfoPowa report).
The Italian network currently offers players Sit & Go, scheduled and multi-table poker tournaments on the P5 Poker Engine and other games currently allowed by Italian regulator AAMS such as bingo.
When permitted to do so, Ongame Network Italy plans to additionally provide poker cash games and online casino offerings, giving players more choice and further stimulating network growth.
“Ongame Network’s Italian operation is in an exciting expansion phase and demonstrates the business benefits of being a responsible supplier who works within legal jurisdictions,” says Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network.
The Italian network is monitored by the Italian authorities and is in full compliance with online gaming regulations. The license holder for Ongame Network Italy is Bwin SRL, Bwin Interactive Entertainment AG’s Italian subsidiary. The company recently reported that Italian online poker revenues had reached $12.8 million.
In related news, the European Commission issued a statement this week advising that it had abandoned its legal action against the Italian authorities, which had cited the country for protectionist laws at odds with EU principles of free movement of goods and services.
The statement noted that the Commission “…ensured that Italian citizens will have access to a wider choice of authorised online gambling services as a result of changes made to Italy’s laws on online gambling. The Commission has therefore closed a series of legal cases against Italy concerning this legalization.”
