One of the biggest shifts in the European online poker industry has taken place as PartyPoker Europe has officially migrated to iPoker’s European Network. Once fierce rivals, now the two platforms are united – a move that was hardly imaginable even a couple of years ago.
Ring-Fenced Southern Europe Market
Both PartyPoker and iPoker operate in the ring-fenced Southern European market that combines France, Spain, and Portugal. For years, the two biggest poker sites in this pool were Winamax and PokerStars, while PartyPoker and iPoker followed in third and fourth spot. That was until a chain of events reshaped the power rankings, but let’s first focus on the migration.
At the end of August, PartyPoker announced on its French and Spanish websites that it would be joining the iPoker Network to “take your poker experience to the next level.” The transition was completed successfully as players received a mandatory client update, with accounts, balances, usernames, bonuses, tickets, and T€ all carried over automatically. Early adopters were even rewarded with some special promotional offers.
Writing on the Wall
White the move is surprising, looking back now there were warning signs leading up to it. The first domino fell in December last year, when Betclic, French online poker site, exited iPoker and launched its own independent poker platform. Then a month later, French betting giant PMU (Pari Mutual Urbain), according to pokerindustry.pro, the largest skin on PartyPoker European network, migrated over iPoker.
From there, PartyPoker’s regional traffic dropped significantly as only its own PartyPoker and bwin brands were left and the network fell behind the iPoker in liquidity.
Despite its struggles in France and Spain, PartyPoker remains alive and well outside the ring-fenced market. It’s true that it’s no longer the powerhouse it once was, especially because, as a publicly traded company, it plays strictly “by the book” and doesn’t offer games in grey markets, unlike many of its competitors; however, the brand continues to hold relevance in the global scene.
This year we saw the revival of the PartyPoker Tour, which has already hosted three successful UK stops in London, Manchester, and Glasgow, with fourth coming up in Birmingham in October at Resorts World Genting Casino. Rumour also suggest, the fifth and final stop might be something extra special. As an official media partner, we here at poker.pro are proud to play a role in this successful relaunch of the series.
- Read more: Everything You Need to Know About PartyPoker Tour Birmingham
- Read more: Zhen Zhen Writes Scottish Poker History with PartyPoker Tour Glasgow £500 Main Event Win
End of an Era
With PartyPoker’s move and consolidation completed, a new chapter begins for the iPoker Network. While it’s unlikely that iPoker will catch up to Winamax or PokerStars anytime soon, the move has certainly strengthened its position in the Southern European market. For players the benefits are clear with a larger player pool, a “cutting-edge software” as they say, new features, and tournaments with bigger guarantees.
Still, we can’t avoid new speculations now if the same fate awaits PartyPoker’s global network. At this point, few moves would truly surprise us.
