Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment….I mean Caesars Interactive Entertainment, (yes, they’ve changed their name) is making quick progress in the European online casino gaming and poker market. While it may still be too early to say whether Harrah’s has officially “made it” in the virtual world, I think most people will agree that Harrah’s recently launched online casino (Caesars Casino) and WSOP casino and poker room sister sites are going to do just fine for themselves.
Making their debut in Mother England, Caesars Interactive is now looking to step things up in Italy, where online gambling laws have been liberated in the last two years. Specifically, Caesar’s is looking to tap into Italy’s online poker industry by means of a long-term agreement with Microgame S.p.A.
Not to be confused with the online casino software developer, Microgaming, Microgame specializes in platform integration in addition to providing gaming application services. Established in 1996 by the Italian engineer, Fabrizio D’Aloia, Microgaming became the first Italian service provider in the online sports betting industry, and following the regulation of online poker in 2008, launched the budding People’s Poker Network – now composed of over 130 poker rooms/operators and accounting for over 1.5 million player accounts.
Dominating over 30% of the online poker market in Italy, the People’s Poker Network is a logical choice for any operator seeking to make a stake on the Italian internet poker scene. Harrah’s CEO, Mitch Garber, said the partnership with Microgame is a “logical step” in the company’s ongoing expansion in the European and global gaming industry.
Caesars Interactive Entertainment will primarily be pushing the WSOP brand (Poker.WSOP.com) in Italy, where it will be interesting to see just how positive the response will be from players. There is no denying the global branding power of the WSOP name, the degree of which will certainly play out next year in Italy.