GVC Lauds Immense Growth of Party Poker in 2018

GVC’s flagship online poker room, Party Poker, experiences immense growth in first half of 2018.

A few short years ago, the online poker industry was experiencing rapid decline. One of the oldest and most reputable operators is Party Poker, who was at the very top of the totem pole in the early 2000’s. The brand suffered when it made the ethical decision to exist the US market in 2007—unlike a few brand names I won’t mention, who stuck around long enough to feel the wrath of the US Department of Justice in 2011.

Party Poker’s recovery was a slow and painful process. So painful that its owners, seeking a more financially stable shoulder to lean on, merged with bwin in 2011, forming Bwin.Party. It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride thereafter, with a lot more downs than ups. The poker room was a mere shadow of its former self, compared to the days when the site was attracting an estimated 3.6 million players per year.

Now, according to the latest news from GVC executives, Party Poker is back on track!

Party Poker Experiencing Immense Growth

Following a rigorous bidding war throughout 2015, land-based and online gambling operator GVC Holdings acquired Bwin.Party, taking over the reins of Party Poker late that year. The poker site needed a lot of work, and the company wasted no time renovating the website, software and player incentives to compete in today’s modern market.

Interim results published by GVC last week indicate that Party Poker isn’t only rising back to the top of the online poker ranks, it’s doing so with radiant vigor. The online poker giant has clearly managed to turn things around under the new leadership of GVC, exhibiting strong revenue growth of 36% in the first half of 2018, compared to the same time frame in the previous year.

GVC comments in the report:

“Games brands NGR was 13% ahead, with partypoker.com NGR 36% ahead driven in part by a very successful live events programme and despite the impact of the withdrawal from Australia in 2017. In June we launched shared liquidity across France and Spain. Ahead of shared liquidity and post its implementation, France and Spain have been amongst our fastest growing markets.”

Growth Driven by 2017 Promotional Refurb

Years back, Party Poker’s segregation of players by rank drove away serious players, severely decreasing its popularity. As a result, it became a site capable of attracting only new, inexperienced players. Then-owner bwin, realizing the error of its ways, eliminated segregation in 2013, but the damage was done. Party Poker’s reputation was shot, and it didn’t help that the loyalty scheme no longer offered anything attractive for high volume players.

Since GVC took over, the whole site was revamped, including a revitalized VIP promotional package in 2017. Now, the online poker room is able to cater to all player types, from beginner, to intermediate, to multi-tabling veterans.

While player rankings no longer determine seating arrangement, Party Poker continues to host special ‘Beginners Tables‘ exclusively for players who don’t want to be hunted by sharks. Anyone can play these tables, but they cannot multi-table when doing so. Grinders prefer to open as many tables as their multiple desktop monitors can display, making beginner tables—despite their fishiness—highly unattractive.

For the serious players, Party Poker’s rakeback incentives are once again top-notch. Grinders can earn as high as 40% rakeback; far better than any of their competitors. Plus, a recent partnership with the World Poker Tour now comes with a throng of qualifiers and satellites to major live poker events all over the world, including WPT Montreal and several other stops in Canada.