Zynga Will Expand Real Money Online Poker Into Europe: Shares Surging
With the announcement that Zynga, the word’s largest social gaming market, will offer real money gambling in the United Kingdom, shares rose 5.5 percent to $3.24 in after-hours trade Tuesday. By late morning Wednesday, shares were up 12.4 percent to $3.45 with an earlier high of $3.49.
Real money gambling will commence today (April 3, 2013) via the new websites ZyngaPlusPoker.com and ZyngaPlusCasino.com. Sports wagering will not be offered at this time.
Zynga also announced plans to move into other regulated European markets and could even be eyeing a handful of US states that recently legalized Web gambling, including Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware.
Zynga, which is already the largest free-to-play online poker site, is likely to boost traffic significantly on the world’s number two real money online poker network, PartyGaming. Zynga will operate as a skin on that network.
"Our long term vision is to offer our players the next generation of real money games on multiple platforms in regulated markets worldwide," Chief Revenue Officer Barry Cottle wrote in a blogpost Tuesday.
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
