iPoker Network Grows to Include Everest Poker and BetClic

Everest Poker has officially announced it has signed with Playtech software and will be joining the esteemed ranks of iPoker Network’s top tier.

The BetClic Everest Group stated that two of its domains, EverestPoker.com and BetClic.com, will be taking advantage of Playtech’s casino and poker feature enhancements; its French online poker players will enjoy the improved rake structure created by the combined the player pool.

Both parties seem very pleased with the deal. Ignacio Martos, CEO of BetClic Everest, stated how pleased he was that their online poker players could now benefit from Playtech’s technology and told them to look forward to a full-scale Playtech casino product launch sometime in 2013. Says Mor Weizer, CEO of Playtech, in an iGaming Business article announcing the deal:

“It is a testament to Playtech’s market-leading position and innovation that a renowned brand such as BetClic Everest has joined our iPoker Network and liquidity pool…France remains an important market for Playtech and the combination of BetClic Everest’s leading position and our advanced technology together with significantly enlarged liquidity pools will lead to material benefits for Playtech and BetClic Everest.”

The news that Everest Poker was moving to the iPoker network isn’t surprising; speciality poker websites have sited sources and leaks indicating that Everest Poker was looking to move away from its independent software platform and embrace Playtech’s skins as long ago as August. At the time, Everest was losing players (in fact, PokerScout claims as much as 40% of Everest’s cash game traffic moved onto greener pastures in the last six months).

The move to the iPoker Network, arguably one of the industry’s top three brands, would increase game liquidity, game options, and player features. And, as it turns out, it would also increase player flow to the iPoker Network, which reported a 15% traffic increase following the merger.

The Betclic Everest Group includes four international brands: Everest Gaming, Betclick, bet-at-home.com and Expekt. These brands span sport and horse-racing, poker, casino and bingo and employ over 1,000 people in 25 countries to serve approximately 12 million customers worldwide, according to the Betclic website.