Gaming companies Amaya and GVC have proposed a €1.5 billion takeover of bwin.party assets.
The Scene:
The gambling world's been buzzing about bwin.party, home to the infamous bwin, PartyPoker, and World Poker Tour, for years now. Back in 2014, whispers swirled that Amaya might be the one to snap up bwin.party. Fast forward to 2015, and it's a whole new game: Amaya teams up with GVC Holdings, the powerhouse behind PokerStars and Full Tilt, to toss their hats in the ring for bwin.party in a mind-boggling €1.5 billion deal!
Now, don't get too carried away—GVC's no greenhorn in the gambling game. Established in the early 2000s, they've got licenses in five countries, offices worldwide, and an annual turnover that rivals bwin.party's. So, when they extended an offer to bwin.party on May 15, 2015, they meant serious business, with Amaya chipping in to make it happen.
GVC's not just talk, either. They've proven their merger mettle with a lasting partnership with William Hill to acquire Sportingbet. In that deal, William Hill took the reins of the assets operating in legal markets, while GVC handled those on the fringes.
With California and Nevada giving bwin.party trouble lately, many experts believe this acquisition could be a game-changer in the American gambling scene. In an ideal world, GVC would handle the sports betting services, while Amaya took care of poker operations, with the WPT brand up for grabs – but only hypothetically speaking, of course.
Behind the Scenes:
While GVC took control of bwin.party's assets back in 2016, Amaya wasn't part of the picture. Instead, Amaya underwent a rebranding and merger into Flutter Entertainment. As of 2025, there's no news of a new partnership between Amaya and GVC. Post-2016, partypoker—one of bwin.party's prized possessions—continues to operate under GVC's umbrella, offering bonuses and loyalty programs aplenty.
Remember, this is just a glimpse of what could happen if the three giants decided to team up again. Keep an eye on the news to stay in the know!
I'm playing poker at partypoker, which is under the ownership of GVC Holdings since their 2016 acquisition of bwin.party. Originally, Amaya Inc., the owner of PokerStars and Full Tilt, was part of the deal to buy bwin.party, but Amaya rebranded and merged into Flutter Entertainment after the acquisition. Although there's no news of a new partnership between Amaya and GVC as of 2025, partypoker continues to operate, offering various bonuses and loyalty programs. GVC Holdings, with its merger mettle, has proven its ability to handle finance and managing assets, such as when they partnered with William Hill to acquire Sportingbet in the past.
