Poker restructuring hits Partouche numbers
Interactive revenues down 10.5% after discontinuation of live tour and scaling down of online element.
Groupe Partouche has seen revenues from its online poker operations fall year-on-year after scaling down its online poker investment, the operator has revealed in its financial results for the year ended 31 October.
Revenues from online arm Partouche Interactive fell by 10.5% year-on-year, with a fourth-quarter decline of 14% following the announcement that it would not be continuing with its live poker tour in 2013.
The tour was discontinued in September in the light of controversy over suggestions it might not honour a publicised 5m guarantee, with marketing director Jean-Jacques Ichai resigning over the matter but seeing his resignation rejected by group president Patrick Partouche.
Groupe Partouche explained in the same month: “The online poker site partouche.fr, which was largely based on synergies with the Partouche Poker Tour, will see its activity substantially reduced.”
The site is part of Partouche’s dot.fr poker network alongside MyPok.fr, which relaunched earlier this week, and is covered by Partouche Interactive’s dot.fr licence from regulator ARJEL.
Despite the Partouche Poker Tour not returning next year, the network will run online satellites for the International Stadiums Poker Tour, which is run by Partouche Interactive veterans Laurent Tapie and Prosper Masquelier.
Partouche also secured an online casino and poker licence in Belgium, becoming one of the first operators to receive A+ accreditation for the country’s egaming market, while its dot.be casino partner Jackpot Party also received the green light from the Belgian Gaming Commission this week.
Overall group revenues picked up in the fourth quarter, rising 0.8% year-on-year after three successive quarters of year-on-year decline, however full-year revenues of 451m represented a 2.9% decline compared to 2011.