Exclusive: CelebPoker to merge with Titan
iPoker skin set to move players to Titan Poker ahead of the Playtech-owned network being split into two tiers.
A merger between TitanPoker and CelebPoker is set to produce one of the largest skins on the top tier of the iPoker network when it breaks into separate layers on 1 September.
The two operators are already covered by the same Antigua egaming licence, held by Imperial E-Club Limited, although eGaming Review sources have suggested CelebPoker would not have independently met the criteria required by the network to make it onto the top tier.
Playtech, which owns the network, introduced a new set of rules in July, with operators required to comply by the end of this month or risk missing out on the network’s top tier. These rules include the maintenance of a base of 6,000 monthly active players, as well as the introduction of 850 new players each month.
Skins are also required to maintain a satisfactory balance between different “player segments”, from recreational to professional, in order to take their place at the top table and enjoy segregated liquidity for cash games.
Certain smaller operators have expressed their concern about losing players to tier-one sites once the split takes place, with the higher liquidity and perceived softer games being the main factors.
Those sites set to be included on the top tier, known colloquially as ‘iPoker 2’, are believed to contribute as much as 70% of the network’s overall liquidity for cash games. Tournament liquidity across the network will be unaffected by September’s changes.
iPoker currently ranks second for cash game liquidity on Pokerscout with a seven-day average of 2700 players at any one time. It has seen its dot.com cash game liquidity fall by almost one third year-on-year, and currently holds a 6.45% dot.com market share (or 16.2% of the market excluding PokerStars).
When eGR first reported on the two-tier system, it was understood that bet365, William Hill, Titan Poker, Paddy Power and Poker770 were among those likely to be included, however Playtech has yet to provide an official statement on which sites will make the higher tier and has no plan to do so until next month.
eGR understands that DafaPoker, the poker arm of Asian facing operator and Everton and WBA betting partner Dafabet, is also on the borderline in terms of meeting the criteria, while Winner Poker also stands a chance of making the higher tier. Those expected to miss out include the poker offerings of operators including Betfred, Boylesports and Genting.
Since rumours of the planned split first surfaced, sites such as Pokerhuis and Gutshot Poker have left the network of their own accord, setting up rooms on the Merge, Enet and InstaDeal networks, while Chilipoker merged its dot.com offering with Poker770.
Another network skin, Moore Games, was recently suspended from the network following “A material breach of network policy.” The Curaçao-licensed site was not expected to be included on the network’s top tier.
iPoker’s new network policy is the latest in a line of moves from networks to improve their overall ecology, with Ongame also experimenting with liquidity management over recent months.
Meanwhile Microgaming has introduced a Network Management Board, headed up by former Gala Coral CEO Dominic Harrison, following it with the roll-out of its new rake allocation model True Value.
In a recent column for eGR, Pokerstrategy.com CEO Dominik Kofert agreed that the separation of software provision from network management – a theme running through the moves from Playtech, Ongame and Microgaming – was long overdue.
Update: A further iPoker skin, DraculaPoker, has closed its doors and invited players to migrate to TitanPoker. The site is understood to have predominantly catered to the Eastern European market.