After weeks of speculation, the land gambling group, Shuffle Master confirmed that it would be purchasing the Ongame Poker Network from Bwin.Party digital entertainment. The purchase will certainly put Shuffle Master in a top spot in the online poker industry, as the network runs over 25 of the very best brands from all over the world.
“Our acquisition of Ongame will allow Shuffle Master to offer a scalable, proven and secure solution for online poker. Immediately upon closing the transaction, we will be able to begin leveraging all of Ongame’s experience and expertise in i-gaming,” said the Chief Executive Officer of Shuffle Master, Gavin Isaacs.
He said that he was confident that Ongame would fit into Shuffle Master’s ongoing interactive initiatives of delivering its brands to online gaming operators and other partner platforms.
“Poker is a natural fit for our table-centric online offerings and our many jurisdictional licenses present an opportunity for our current and future online customers,” he said.
Bwin.Party will be paid €19.5 million in cash for its Ongame Poker Network, although it could make another €10 million over the next five years, depending on the advancement of online poker legalization in the United States.
The MD of Ongame, Peter Bertilsson, said that his group believed that their experience and expertise in the European market is a “natural fit with Shuffle Master’s considerable commitment and history in developing innovative games and products for land based operators.”
