The struggling gaming firm Zynga has launched two poker and casino-style, real-money games for adults in the UK.
The new games include ZyngaPlusPoker and ZyngaPlusCasino, which will be offered to players in the UK as long as they are over 18 years of age. The games are part of the company’s plans to broadly expand its presence that includes gambling in various countries, betting through Facebook as well as real-money games for mobile phones.
Zynga chief revenue officer Barry Cottle said: "Our long-term vision is to offer our players the next generation of real-money games on multiple platforms in regulated markets worldwide."
The games will be powered by Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, the Gibraltar-based real-money game operator, following a collaboration agreement signed in 2012. Bwin will also offer the gaming license in addition to security measures like fraud detection.
In March 2013, Zynga re-launched its website to allow users to log in without using a Facebook account to play its games, which would also authorise Zynga not to feature Facebook ads or offer Facebook credits as a form of payment.
In December 2012, Zynga moved ahead towards online betting in the US by filing a preliminary finding of suitability for gaming in Nevada and it would take 12 to 18 months to make the game maker eligible for real-money wagering.
