Industry News

Card Player Media Launches SpadeClub Poker Room and Community

SpadeClub, a revolutionary new poker community for players of all skill levels, leads the way in enhancing online poker by adding additional features such as player profiles, exclusive tools and tips, and more than $100,000 each month in cash prizes.

Not only is SpadeClub unique for being the first online poker site developing a full-scale community, it also delivers a multitude of opportunity for players to risk nothing and win big.

SpadeClub is based on a subscription model wherein exclusive members pay $19.99 per month for easy entrance into all available tournaments, with more than $100,000 each month in prizes.

Exclusive membership offers many unique community features. Members can create profiles with bios, interests, blogs and a friends list. Profiles also feature all the badges of achievement the member has earned, such as the hands played badge, final table badge, bounties badge, and more. Members also will receive access to poker tips and tools at the table. Promotions available include a two-week free trial of exclusive membership and refer-a-friend feature in which members can earn up to $20 in membership money per friend referred.

New Chief at PartyGaming

PartyGaming has appointed Jim Ryan as chief executive officer. Ryan, a 46-year-old Canadian, takes over from outgoing chief executive officer Mitch Garber. Ryan was formerly chief executive officer of St. Minver and Excapsa Software, as well as chief financial officer of CryptoLogic, having trained as a chartered accountant at Deloitte Haskins & Sells.

Other directorial changes see John O'Malia, who was previously the Group's chief games officer after the acquisition of Gamebookers, assuming the role of managing director, and Michael Jackson, non-executive chairman, leaving the company in the coming months.

Jim Ryan said of his appointment, "PartyGaming is a great business with the world's largest online casino, one of the largest online poker rooms, and an exciting sportsbook and bingo product. I am hugely excited by the scale of the opportunity, and, with the support of PartyGaming's board and management team, I am confident we have an exciting and prosperous future."

Revenues Climb at Everest Poker

GigaMedia, the Taiwanese-listed owner of Everest Poker, has announced record poker revenues of $19.1 million in the first quarter of 2008, up 428 percent compared to the same period in 2008, and 47 percent on the fourth quarter of 2008.

During the first quarter, 138,000 active real-money players played on the site, up 53 percent on the previous quarter, with 68,000 new depositing real-money players added. Poker makes up 73 percent of GigaMedia's total revenues.

Chief executive officer Arthur Wang said, "GigaMedia continued to execute well in the first quarter -- led again by our Everest Poker software, which grew both revenue and player numbers by about 50 percent over Q4. And, in Asia, we have expanded our online entertainment platform to reach over 65 million registered users, with over 8 million active users per month.

"We are especially excited about our upcoming launch this summer of new games and products in Asia, including our suite of real-money Japanese games. We are building an online entertainment platform that will span Asia and offer a top game and other entertainment experience to our players."

According to the company, the key drivers for poker revenue growth were strong online and offline marketing initiatives by licensees, as well as affiliates promoting Everest Poker and driving new player signups on the site.

The company has engaged in TV advertising and launched its product in three additional languages in the first quarter of 2008.

Pacific Poker Profit Drops; Turkish Tribulations

Sportingbet, the London Alternative Investment Market-quoted gaming company, has reported net poker rake at Paradise Poker had fallen 20 percent to £5 million between February and April 2008 from £6.3 million in the same period the previous year.

The first nine months of the financial year to April 2008 rake fell 30 percent to £15.7 million from £22.4 million a year earlier.

A statement from the company said, "Poker, much like the casino business, has also suffered from a withdrawal of Turkish-based volumes in what remains a very competitive non-US market."

The company also confirmed that the two London-based staff of Turkish nationality who were detained last month when visiting Turkey on holiday, remain in custody.

On a brighter note for the company, group operating profit was up 143.3 percent to £7.3 million compared to £3.0 million in the same quarter in 2007.

Bwin and Ladbrokes Poker Results

Bwin, the publicly-quoted Austrian online bookmaker and poker room, has said revenue from its poker operations was up 12.6 percent in the first quarter of 2008 year-on-year to €20.3 million. This was an increase of 6.8 percent on the fourth quarter of 2007. Overall, in 2007, Bwin had revenues of €74.6 million from poker operations.

The number of active customers playing poker at the site grew 22 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2008 from 224,089 to 273,410. Gross gaming revenue, which includes sportsbook and casino, amounted to €104.6 million, up 21.3 percent on the same quarter in 2007.

Meanwhile, Ladbrokes announced in its interim trading report for the four months to the end of April that net revenues for poker fell 2 percent "in what remains a highly competitive market."

Genting to Build UK Casino

Genting International, the Singapore-quoted casino operator, whose Stanley casinos host the Genting Stanley UK Poker Tour has said it is to jointly develop a casino, hotel, and spa at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.
The proposed investment will total £90 million and will see the property benefit from more than three million visitors to the NEC each year.

Svenska Spel to be Broken Up?

Swedish gaming monopoly Svenska Spel may be broken up, with parts sold off to other operators in the market. Finance Minister Andres Borg is reported to have floated the idea by questioning whether the government should be involved in forms of online gambling which they consider less addictive.

Sweden is currently under pressure from the European Commission to conform to EU law in relation to online gaming, and this latest move is being mooted as a possible solution to the country's current disagreement with the Commission.

Gaming Goes Legal in South Africa

At press time, it was reported in local South African media that the long-debated National Gambling Amendment Bill could be passed by the National Assembly imminently.

The bill, which was introduced by parliament last year, was approved by the Trade and Industry Portfolio Committee in May, and can now go before the National Assembly to be enacted before being signed into law by the president.

The bill will license and regulate online and mobile gaming, including placing restrictions on advertising. The National Gaming Board will oversee implementation of the law.

Devilfish Poker Back in the Game

DevilfishPoker.com, the online poker site operated by Devilfish Gaming which is quoted on London's PLUS market, relaunched in May on the Entraction network.

The colourfully redesigned site now offers:

• 150 percent first-deposit bonus, up to €666
• Daily Beelzebub Breakfast and Lucifer's Lunch freerolls
• €100,000-guaranteed tournament on the last Sunday of each month. Players can buy in directly for €200 or qualify from €2-€20.
• Bad-beat jackpot -- losing hand receives 40 percent of jackpot, winning hand receives 20 percent, all players dealt cards split 20 percent, and 20 percent is kept back for the new jackpot.

Paul Barnes, spokesman for the company, said, "After months of hard work, we're really excited about the all-new DevilfishPoker.com. Entraction is a very successful network with outstanding software, we've redesigned our website with a contemporary look and feel, and we now offer poker players one of the top playing environments and communities on the Web."

The site is the home of current Card Player European Player of the Year Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, who said of the relaunch, "I can't wait to get stuck into playing at my new home. No doubt there'll be a few guys out there who think they can take on the Devilfish and win, but I've got news for 'em: Come and have a go if you think you're good enough!

PokerStars Opens Macau Poker Room

PokerStars.com has opened the 250-capacity PokerStars Macau, the first live poker room in the former Portuguese colony in Southeast Asia.

The poker room is located in the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino in Coti and launched with a charity tournament in aid of the victims of the recent earthquake in China.

Team PokerStars pro and former World Champion Joe Hachem said, "PokerStars is committed to the development of poker in Asia. Although Macau has overtaken Las Vegas as the gaming capital of the world, it was only with the incredible success of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour last November that no-limit hold'em poker started growing there. PokerStars planted the seeds, and now this beautiful poker room is going to be the garden where future champions learn to play. I wouldn't be surprised if the next world champion comes from Macau or elsewhere in China.