The Microgaming Poker Network announced the addition of longtime sports book GoldBet on Wednesday, bringing its roster of poker rooms to almost 50. GoldBet, founded in 2000 in Innsbruck, is one of Europe’s leading online bookmakers and had not had a poker offering until now.
In a press release, GoldBet Casino and Poker Manager Luigi Amadio said, “We are delighted to be entering into this new partnership with Microgaming and we have found that its Poker product offering more than lives up to its reputation as best in market. With simplicity, usability and security being key parts of our mission statement, Microgaming software delivers in every respect. CSR is also a key component of the way we operate as a business, and we were delighted to find that our values in this respect were reflected in Microgaming’s own socially responsible programmes and activities.”
Online sports books are attractive partners for poker networks, as the poker players who come over from the sports betting side are typically considered “fish.” These players are frequently sports bettors first and poker players second. With the focus of the industry quickly shifting to the recreational player, casual players who are simply experimenting with poker using sports betting winnings are very attractive to both the networks and more serious players.
As such, it should come as no surprise that Microgaming’s CEO, Roger Raatgever, is excited about GoldBet. “We are proud to welcome yet another established and respected sportsbook operator to the Microgaming Poker Network,” he said. “We are working closely with GoldBet to ensure that our product is completely tailored in order to ensure smooth integration with their existing platform. We are looking forward to playing our part in making GoldBet the complete one stop shop in gaming entertainment.”
Earlier this year, Microgaming announced that it was changing its rake calculation policies to discourage ultra-tight players and the more serious grinders who are only after rakeback. The rake calculation method switched from the “contributed” method, in which each player who puts money into the pot is credited with an equal split of the rake, to a “weighted contributed” method, where each player who puts money in the pot is credited with an amount of rake proportional to how much money he contributed. For example, if one player put half of the money into the pot and two other players contributed one-quarter of the pot each and the rake was $1, then $0.50 would be attributed to the first player and $0.25 would be attributed to the other two.
While Microgaming used to be one of the dominant poker networks in the industry, its standing fell quickly after it stopped accepting American customers when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in 2006. According to PokerScout.com, the network now ranks ninth in average cash game traffic, just behind Everest Poker and just ahead of the Cake Poker Network.
