Bwin.Party’s co CEO Jim Ryan has been one busy man. He’s been cruising around the states armed with research that shows which poker brands have the highest brand awareness now that Full Tilt and PokerStars are out of business.
It’s emerged that Bwin.Party owned PartyPoker and World Poker Tour are the top recognised names. According to Forbes.com Ryan said “Where you see the red lines, those organizations have been indicted…it’s unlikely you will see those brands back in the U.S. The brand that has the most consumer awareness is in fact the PartyPoker brand.”
Despite PartyPoker’s withdrawal from the US market after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed in 2006, Ryan still has his sights set on America. He said “My focus is on the U.S even though there is no guarantee that online gaming will ever regulate in the U.S.”
This lust for a share of the massive US market has also driven Bwin.Party to look for b2b partners to help them take back America. Ryan said “We had to be realistic about where we sat in the food chain. We figured if the U.S. regulated it would be unlikely that we would secure a license directly, that the laws of the land would be written to allow existing land operators and equipment manufacturers in the U.S. to secure the licenses.”
Ryan is also happy with the on going effort the American Gaming Association and big casino companies like MGM resorts and Caesars Entertainment are making in Washington, saying “We have to be ready for both federal or state (regulation). It feels good to have American taxpaying companies finally driving this.”
