Authors of the most popular poker app, Zynga, have recently confirmed that they intend to move forward with plans to enter the real money online poker market. They are currently in talks with a number of different potential partners to make real money games a reality for Zynga Poker.
The current Zynga poker app plays host to over 7 million players per day and it is the most popular poker game on Facebook. Right now games are only available for play chips, which can be earned by referring friends, winning them in poker games, or by purchasing them for real money.
Offering real money games could be a huge money maker for Zynga and its new shareholders. Zynga raised $1 Billion during its IPO in December 2011, thanks to the success of Zynga Poker and other apps such as “Farmville” and “Words with Friends.” They already have a huge player network available. If even a fraction would play for real money, it could be a great success for Zynga and the online poker community.
Due to the complex nature of online gambling law and future regulations, it is likely that Zynga will need to team up with an already established coalition of online poker providers. The two most likely candidates are bwin.Party and 888Holdings. Bwin recently entered a partnership agreement with Caesars Entertainment, while 888Holdings is now affiliated with both MGM Resorts International and the Boyd Gaming Corporation. If Zynga poker is able to join either of these groups and open their doors to real money players, it is possible that PokerStars will again have a major competitor.
PokerStars has been the leader of the online poker market for many years. PartyPoker at one time also had a good size share of the market. However, PartyPoker was forced to bow out of the U.S. market in 2006 thanks to the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. After FullTilt Poker was shut down in 2011, Pokerstars was left standing as the only online poker giant. According to Pokerscout.com, Pokerstars has nearly as many active players online as every other site and network combined.