SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
iGaming software and lottery technology supplier are set to cease operations of its poker software – International Poker Network (known in the poker industry as the IPN Network), by the second quarter of 2014.
The closure of their poker network, which supplied GTech igaming clients with turnkey services to promote poker to their customer base, will see the igaming software supplier close network operations. The IPN network had been operational for more than 10 years and had serviced igaming brands such as PokerHeaven, Sportingbet, Virgin Poker, at its peak the IPN Network would boast more than 2,500 daily cash players and was ranked 6th biggest online poker room/network.
GTech’s turnkey service had been effected by changes in regulations which would effect player liquidity on the network,the software itself also lacked many of the player and poker features of its competitors software. Many observers felt that the Network was behind industry competitors. Today the IPN Network currently services only 15 poker brands and is ranked 31st by PokerScout’s poker traffic ranking website. IPN has an average of 220 daily cash game players during a one-week period.
The closure of its poker network due for Q2 2014 will not represent a closure by GTech of all its poker operations, it is widely thought that GTECH will focus igaming needs to its regulated country specific gaming providers, such as Norsk Tipping, Codere Spain, Lottomatica Poker and the Canadian Poker Network.
