Bwin, which merged with Partygaming there some time, is the owner of the Ongame network since 2005. It is moreover since this merger with Partygaming that she thinks to divest itself of the Ongame network. In the own words of Bwin, since its merger with Partygaming, the Ongame network has become a 'superfluous active'.
At the time, Bwin purchased Ongame for the sum of £ 474 million. Today, things have changed much and Bwin requests more than 13 million pounds for its network.
To date, the Ongame network is the 6th largest network of online poker after including PokerStars, PartyPoker and iPoker.
Recently, the British newspaper The Sunday Times learned us that Shuffle Master had a very marked interest for Ongame. As its name suggests, Shuffle Master is specialized in the production of card shufflers. Shuffle Master Update obviously on the legalization of online poker in the United States to maximize its investment.
On the other hand, as have taught you us yesterday, is not tomorrow the day before that online poker will be legal in the land of Uncle Sam.
What impact will this new take on the future of the Ongame network? Hard to say. One thing is certain, the CEO of Bwin/party, Jim Ryan, recently announced that Bwin (currently on the Ongame network) players could merge with the pool of players of PartyPoker, somewhere this year.
Probably good news for Party/Bwin players and bad for Ongame players as Bwin was the largest room in the network and therefore the busiest.
Discuss this news on PokerCollectif forums: Shuffle Master has the eye on the Ongame network
