Supplier News
China – Hong Kong firm buys World Poker Tour
By Phil - 29 June 2015
WPT Enterprises has been acquired by Ourgame International Holdings, a Hong Kong-listed corporation Ourgame will pay $35m in cash for World Poker Tour, the premier name in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online, and mobile.
“Having already established an exciting partnership with Ourgame, a high growth company led by an enthusiastic group that is fully invested in the global growth of the sport of poker, we are delighted to now become a fully-integrated member of the Ourgame family” said WPT President & CEO Adam Pliska. “I want to thank bwin.party CEO Norbert Teufelberger and bwin.party CFO Martin Weigold for all of their support over the last six years, and for helping facilitate this agreement.”
Ourgame CEO Frank Ng added: “World Poker Tour is unquestionably the global leader in organizing world-class poker events, and we are very proud to acquire one of the world’s greatest brands. WPT, with Ourgame as its new owner, will continue to expand its already impressive global presence, bringing poker and gaming entertainment to cities and homes around the world via television broadcasts, mobile devices, card tables, and more.”
Since 2009, when World Poker Tour was purchased by bwin.party digital entertainment plc for $12.3m, WPT has grown from 16 WPT Main Tour events to more than 70 WPT Main Tour, WPT Alpha8, WPT National, and WPTDeepStacks events. In addition, the WPT footprint has expanded into Europe and Asia, and WPT now boasts stategic partnerships with many other powerful brands, including Monster Headphones, Hublot, DraftKings, Skrill, FIAT, and Royal Caribbean International.
In December 2014, World Poker Tour announced an alliance with Ourgame, agreeing to license products and services on an exclusive basis in more than a dozen countries across Asia.
Founded in 1998 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Ourgame is one of Asia’s leading social gaming companies, offering a variety of card and board games on internet and mobile platforms.
Head-quartered in Beijing and with a current market capitalization of HK$ 5.481bn (USD $707m), Ourgame has played a significant role in expanding the social gaming market in Asia and now boasts more than 500 million users. For three years, Ourgame has helped facilitate WPT National China at MGM Grand Sanya Resort, bringing together hundreds of social gamers with some of the biggest professional poker players in the world.
