Bwin.party assets up for grabs at €1.5 billion bid by Amaya and GVC
Let's get down to it:
The gambling scene has been tossing up some big changes. Back in 2015, bwin.party, known for its poker rooms like bwin, PartyPoker, and World Poker Tour, was up for grabs. And it wasn't just any suitor stepping up to the plate—none other than Amaya, parent company of PokerStars and Full Tilt, had its eyes set on ‘em. But here's the twist—Amaya wasn't playing solo. It teamed up with gambling group GVC Holdings to make the bid for bwin.party, and they pledged a cool €1.5 billion for it.
Now, GVC isn't a rookie in the gambling world. This outfit's primary business is online sports betting, and it's been around since 2004, holding licenses in five countries and operating out of offices in Ireland, Israel, the UK, Uruguay, Malta, and the Philippines. Each year, GVC clocks an annual turnover of €1.5 billion.
On May 15, 2015, GVC announced via their official website their intention to acquire all of bwin.party's share capital, with the backing of Amaya for the funding.
In the recent past, bwin.party encountered obstacles in California and Nevada. Many shrewd analysts think offloading its assets to new owners would boost the company's prospects in the American gambling market.
If everything goes as planned—and we're talking about the reported acquisition, mind you—GVC would handle sports betting services promotion and offerings, while Amaya would call the shots for poker operations. There's even a possibility that Amaya could acquire the WPT (World Poker Tour) brand.
In the past, GVC's acquisition game has been strong. It previously merged with William Hill to hook Sportingbet. Wilson Hill assumed the legal markets' assets, while GVC took charge of the grey market assets.
But here's the real tea: As of 2025, GVC (now rebranded as Entain) still retains ownership of bwin.party’s assets, including PartyPoker's operations. Amaya (now The Stars Group) has moved on to other acquisitions and isn't part of this merged structure anymore. Entain integrated bwin.party’s brands into its portfolio and focused on online gaming and sports betting. The operational division likely follows Entain’s standard structure, with distinct management for Poker (PartyPoker) and Sportsbook (bwin) verticals, operating under Entain's compliance and tech infrastructure.
Now, you might be wondering, why the discrepancy in reported figures back in 2015? Some sources talk about the purchase being $1 billion, while others insist it was $1.4 billion. Well, that could be due to partial transaction details or currency adjustments. So, who knows—the actual figures might still be up for debate!
- Initially, in 2015, GVC Holdings, a seasoned player in the gambling world, partnered with Amaya to bid for bwin.party, the owner of poker rooms like bwin, PartyPoker, and World Poker Tour, for around €1.5 billion.
- Fast forward to 2025, GVC (now Entain) still maintains ownership of bwin.party’s assets, including PartyPoker's operations, while Amaya, now rebranded as The Stars Group, has moved on to other acquisitions.
- Entain, the current owner, integrated bwin.party’s brands into its portfolio and focused on online gaming and sports betting, with distinct management for Poker (PartyPoker) and Sportsbook (bwin) verticals, operating under Entain’s compliance and tech infrastructure.
