Coral to leave Party Gaming / Skins

[Robby Box]

03-11-05 15:45

UPDATE 1-Gala to leave PartyGaming poker platform - sources

(Adds company, analyst quotes, background)
By Pete Harrison
LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Britain's Gala is set to move its
Coral Eurobet online poker operations away from the software
platform of PartyGaming <PRTY.L> in a move that would hurt other
Web sites using the platform, such as Empire Online <EOL.L>,
industry sources said.
Since October, PartyGaming has operated two software
platforms -- one for players on its own PartyPoker Web site, and
another for partners such as Coral Eurobet and Empire, known as
"skins", which use PartyGaming's software to power their own
poker rooms.
Players on PartyGaming's skin Web sites can play against
each other, and the skins have always relied on each other for
liquidity. The loss of a larger skin like Coral Eurobet would
hurt the other three by reducing their liquidity.
Gala declined to comment on the move, as did PartyGaming.
But PartyGaming Director of Corporate Communications John
Shepherd said: "In the first half, the skins, of which there are
four, contributed less than 4 percent of PartyGaming's poker
revenues."
"Our relationship with the skins has always been clear," he
added. "If it makes strategic sense for either business,
contracts can be terminated and we can part."
Analyst Greg Feehely at Altium Securities said Gala leaving
would be bad news for Empire, which said on Thursday it had
received a bid approach from PartyGaming.
"It's a very realistic possibility that Gala would want to
take control just as PartyGaming did," he said. "It's a further
unwelcome move for Empire, but the company's continued
independence looks unlikely anyway."
PartyGaming's shares were unchanged at 93 pence by 1424 GMT,
while Empire Online was down 1.7 percent at 113 pence.
((Reporting by Pete Harrison, editing by Tom Pfeiffer; Reuters
Messaging: pete.harrison.reuters.com@reuters.net; +44 207 542
7975))

[primetime32]

any thoughts on where eurobet would wind up? and when will this split occur?

[goodguy_1]

not unexpected a huge shakeout is in the works.... it would be great if Gala would merge into a better network and rakeback survived but I'm sure that's dubious.

things are getting very nasty out there on both sides of the game..

[timprov]

[ QUOTE ]
any thoughts on where eurobet would wind up? and when will this split occur?

[/ QUOTE ]

My feeling since the split is that if Tain had any sense at all they'd be courting Eurobet. So that's my first guess. Second is that they go off on their own rather than joining a new network.

[Petteri]

Playtech(iPoker) could be Eurobet's choice. But there are many software providers around. Eurobet could have own network with i.e Playtech's software.

Empire will possibly also join iPoker pretty soon. Playtech has good software which has only small number of users.

Tain is one possibility, but as Expekt suffered complete disaster due to software problems, I do not think Eurobet will join Tain until Expekt is up and running again.

[goodguy_1]

Noble which Empire owns is part of the Playtech Network right? I'm not sure which room is the driving force on Playtech but a good guess would be Noble right. Empire already owns Noble so for EuroBet to buy-out Playtech they have to deal with Empire in some fashion I would think. Doesnt sound likely unless Empire and EuroBet merge all their poker operations together.

I dont really know much about Playtech other than that Titan and a few other rooms I never heard are part of the network. What part does Empire already play in the ownership of the Playtech network other than Noble-I have no clue.

Noble has more games than I thought but overall the action is sparse and the software is pretty damn lame.

[daveymck]

Not really a surprise given whats happened. Gala were looking to expand their online bingo so that may inpact where they go, although it wouldnt surprise me for them to goto Crypto along with the other UK bookies Will Hill etc.

[Robby Box]

[ QUOTE ]
Not really a surprise given whats happened. Gala were looking to expand their online bingo so that may inpact where they go, although it wouldnt surprise me for them to goto Crypto along with the other UK bookies Will Hill etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

Crypto the place Betfair just left to go to pokerchamps [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

[daveymck]

I thought betfair had just this week extended their contract with crypto?

from their forum announcements

Betfair, the world’s leading betting exchange, and CryptoLogic Inc., a leading software developer to the global Internet casino and poker markets, have agreed to a contract extension through CryptoLogic’s licensing subsidiary, WagerLogic Limited, until June 2006 and with an option to extend to January 2007.

Since its launch 18 months ago, Betfair Poker has worked closely with WagerLogic to produce one of Europe’s fastest growing poker rooms. But the Hammersmith-based firm, renowned for betting innovation, is developing its own technology and planning to take poker provision in-house.

“It has always been Betfair’s strategy to own and operate our own software for all our core products,” said Steve Ives, Director of Betfair Games. “As a technology-driven betting company it is part of our natural evolution to examine ways of how we can continue offering our customers that little bit more distinction.”

“We are pursuing ways to do this and will be ready to proceed when the current contract expires. I’d like to thank WagerLogic for its pivotal contribution to Betfair Poker and we look forward to working closely with them in the coming months.”

[Robby Box]

http://www.pokernews.com/news/2005/1...okerchamps.htm