Ladbrokes Poker To Merge Into Microgaming Network - 08-08-08

August 8 - John O'Reilly, managing director of the UK based Ladbrokes' online gambling operations announced that their are to change away from a strategy of running a standalone poker room to integrate into the existing Microgaming Poker Network, which has 40 tier one poker rooms feeding into one pool for enhanced liquidity.

"Most of the poker rake is generated by the high stakes players and we have taken the decision to offer them US liquidity from those individual states where there is less of a legal risk," he explained.

O'Reilly said that Ladbrokes have analyzed the legal risk and are comfortable with joining the network. The benefit for Ladbrokes high stakes players is more competition and the network will benefit from the influx of high stakes UK players.

Ladbrokes' online poker NGR seems to have followed a developing trend in the industry, falling 6.4 percent to GBP14.7 million.

This is in stark contrast to Internet sportsbook NGR which climbed by 18.5 percent to GBP32.1 million, and online casino NGR which was up a huge 19.8%

The online division's profits for the first half of 2008 were flat year on year at GBP26.2 million, but this is consistent with Ladbrokes position that they are to concentrate on player acquisition. Ladbrokes recruited 237 000 new online gaming customers during the first half of the year,

The Ladbrokes Group pre-tax profits for the six month period to the end of June was down GBP 170 million from GBP192.7 million over the same period last year, which was put down to a high roller effect.

Read our Ladbrokes Review.

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