Sunday, May 9, 2010

PartyGaming Inks Deal With Aviation Club de France, by Greg Tingle

Websites

PartyPoker.com WPTPoker.com WPTCasino.com PartyCasino.com AviationClubdeFrance.com

PartyGaming has inked its B2B deal in France is applying for a French gaming licence.

This deal sees Aviation Club de France, a land-based gambling venue off the Champs Elysees in Paris and France's leading card room, maintain its world class status. The club is understood to sport in excess of 100,000 members. Aviation Club will join PartyGaming's French poker network when laws permits it to go ahead.

Aviation Club de France will join other gaming operators on the network including PartyGaming's own France-facing site, PartyGaming.fr, current French racing powerhouse Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU), and television broadcaster AB Groupe, following an agreement inked last month.

PartyGaming is keen to see the French gaming licence granted and don't foresee delays.

The licence system, which was approved by the French parliament last month, means that PartyGaming will switch off domestic casino and bingo when licensing is approved, resulting in the removal of annualised revenues of approximately $12m.

Media Man and its Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory arms are very excited as to what this means to the continued global strategy and growth.

The gaming and news media world is following the progress of the PartyGaming deals in France to help evaluate their own strategy regarding gaming, government and land based projects.

Major U.S, Canadian and Australian based casinos and clubs are taking a very close look at this deal and how it pans out, advised a Media Man media and gaming spokesperson.


6th May 2010

Press Release

Aviation Club de France to join PartyGaming’s French Poker Network

PartyGaming, the world’s leading listed online gaming company, today announces its third B2B deal in France with an exclusive multi-year agreement to provide a white label online poker service for Aviation Club de France (“ACF”), one of the country’s most prestigious card rooms and private members clubs.

The new service, branded ‘ACFPoker’, will join PartyGaming’s expanding French poker network which will also include www.partypoker.fr. Once PartyGaming obtains the required licence and is operational, players on the network will benefit from a shared pool of player liquidity and operate on a single platform.

Founded in 1907 by four pioneering French aviators, today ACF has 100,000 members and is the leading card room in France. The club is a regular host of World Poker Tour’s events including the forthcoming Grand Prix de Paris to be held on 8-16 May 2010. The new online poker service will be promoted through a variety of channels to ACF’s extensive customer base.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Jim Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of PartyGaming, said:

“ACF is a great addition to our French poker network and allows us to directly connect with France’s offline poker players. This deal is a great strategic fit and together with our other B2B alliances in France, we are determined to establish a strong position in what we believe will become one of Europe’s largest poker markets.”

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