Party Gaming to Enter Danish Online Poker Market

August 13 - Party Gaming has confirmed that it will be entering the Danish online poker market next year, although the group remains cautious about providing guarantees on a January 1st entry.

Party Gaming's inking of a deal with the monopoly gambling group, Danske Spil is seen as a new strategy that the group is following to keep competition out.

The group first signed a deal with Danske Spil in January this year, but nothing could advance in the process after Playtech, owners of the iPoker Network, filed a complaint with the Danish courts that the original deal had not gone through the proper channels.

The Danish Complaints Board for Public Procurement agreed with Playtech, proving that a number of rules had been bent to seal the deal.

Party Gaming and Danske Spil said that their intentions were not to circumvent any legal processes.

This week the group announced that it would most probably be entering the market on January 1st.

By signing with a monopoly group, which would limit the legal options available to Danish online poker players, Party Gaming is essentially avoiding outright competition with top names in the market such as PokerStars and Full Tilt.

This strategy does not come without its own controversy, with analysts suggesting that deals with market monopolizers is the antithesis of a free and fair market environment.

The five year deal with Danske Spil will see Party Gaming provide online and poker games to the Danish gaming public.

See our Party Poker review.