Cmedia launches social poker offering
Soda Poker goes live on Facebook as company admits affiliate space has become increasingly difficult.
Barcelona-based online marketing company Cmedia has launched Soda Poker, a social poker offering on Facebook targeting Spanish, French and Italian players.
Developed in partnership with Viaden Gaming, Soda Poker is a freeplay site with the option to purchase virtual credits for high-stakes games on Facebook.
The launch marks a shift from Cmedia’s core affiliate marketing business, with director of business development Oliver Crane telling eGaming Review that European regulation had “harmed” the business, and forced the company to explore alternative revenue streams: “Government regulation has made affiliate marketing tougher and tougher, Black Friday didn’t help, so moving onto the operator side became the best option.
“Government regulations have made affiliate marketing tougher and tougher, so developing a B2C model alongside our B2B model seemed to be the best way for us to make the most out of our position while allowing us to offer separate products to separate player profiles.
“Standard casino and poker operation is incredibly tough, and as we have the critical mass and traffic for it, we decided to go into social, which allows us to operate in our key markets without worrying about the regulatory issues,” Crane explained.
According to Crane, Cmedia currently drives a significant percentage of Spanish egaming traffic. The company was founded by Christian Khoury in 2005 and has run affiliate marketing campaigns for the likes of Betclic Everest, William Hill and PokerStars.