http://www.pokerinter.net Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:53:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://www.pokerinter.net/2011/08/bwin-party-gets-mobile-poker-with-iphone-and-now-new-android-applications/ http://www.pokerinter.net/2011/08/bwin-party-gets-mobile-poker-with-iphone-and-now-new-android-applications/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:53:12 +0000 admin http://www.pokerinter.net/?p=6 In recent news party.bwin are drastically speeding up their entry into newly de-regulated market places in Europe. Their latest entry is into Italy and for absolute gambling without borders, they have taken their poker client mobile too. Mobile poker has been a little slow to take off because of the nature of the game. But now that every second player owns a smartphone, it seems only natural to get your mobile poker app downloaded and ready to play. Online poker players have become an ideal target market for poker applications as the question today is not whether they own a smartphone or not – it is ‘which do they prefer – the Android operating system or iOS?’
The first application to launch was in January 2011; this was the Apple iPhone app which was developed for bwin by Ongame. Mobile poker is no longer just a nice feature to have on your smartphone according to David Pittel – MD of the Ongame Network. He says that the new digital customer expects to find these products on their handsets. Smartphone users are all tech-savvy and are also happy to use multiple gaming platforms, just as long as they get to play poker, and play it wherever they may go.
All major online poker operators are seeing the importance of being able to offer their customers mobile choices, and one-by-one are all falling into line in terms of the development of applications. Playtech for example have recently purchased the mobile developer – Mobenga. Although this is a sports betting mobile developer; this massive gambling software company was willing to pay €23.8 million to have this design team at the drop of a card.
Online poker in the past has not been an easy game to go mobile with, but, developers are becoming more innovative and have in fact, reinvented this playing experience specifically for mobile poker platforms – by developing a product with even more mass appeal. The format and nature of playing poker is such that it is a multiplayer game, so it is not just like getting an online slot mobile, certainly not for real money games!
Bwin.party have already found that their Apple iPhone poker app is popular and are expecting the same, if not a better response from their new Android application. The more widespread the use of the smartphone becomes – and this is expected to be phenomenal – the more demand there will be for games. Android was always the next step for this brand to take, and now with the popularity of playing online poker, and playing it from this channel, there is even more significant potential.
Just out of interest; bwin.party digital entertainment recently launched a variety of new brands into the Italian online gambling market with Gioco Digitale being the first to open its virtual casino doors, in partnership with one of our favourite developers, Sweden’s Net Entertainment. A number of products are expected to follow, and in a slew of software companies getting in on the Italian action, the Dragonfish B2B, Playtech, and William Hill have all been seen launching this week.

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