Ongame Network showcased latest version of fully integrated mobile poker solution at ICEi.

Gibraltar – Ongame Network Ltd, a subdivision of the bwin Group and a leading provider of online gaming platforms, showcased the latest version of their online poker mobile software application during the International Casino Exhibition at Earl’s Court in London last week.

The new version is the first ever which truly takes advantage of the accessibility of mobile devices to create a refreshing, encompassing and action-packed mobile poker experience focused on one-on-one play.

“When we first managed to overcome restrictions in display size and processing capacity and successfully ported the state-of-the art graphics of our Windows software into more than forty popular mobile devices, we really felt we achieved something,” says spokesperson Tomer Katz.

“But now we’ve taken it one step further by introducing a new user interface specifically designed for the heads-up market segment for which we believe our portable poker solution is perfectly suited. It’s fast, it’s easy and it only requires a few minutes of game time to enjoy.”

The new graphical interface simplifies the user heads-up experience by putting the player face-to-face with his opponent and removing unnecessary controls and graphical elements.

In the exhibition hall at Earl’s Court visitors could demo the application by playing either against another mobile poker player or, by seamlessly interacting with the companies Windows and Java poker software, against anyone of the more than thirty thousand concurrent players actively engaged in cash games and tournaments inside the Ongame Network gaming environment around the clock.

With more than twenty five of the online gaming industry’s most trusted brands in their partner portfolio, Ongame Network is aiming to bring real money mobile poker to the hands of millions of European players longing to enjoy their favourite game on the fly during 2008.

Heat Poker Tournaments spell success for Ongame Network

Ongame Network Ltd, a subdivision of the bwin Group and a leading provider of online gaming platforms, has seen an increase of over 200% in the Grand Tournament – the online poker network’s flagship event – following the addition of the innovate Heats feature two months ago.

Thanks to its player-friendly and unique two-day structure, the $1,000 buy-in monthly Grand Tournament has been considered one of the most innovative online poker events on the circuit ever since it first emerged back in 2005. But the recent addition of Heats has drastically spurred its popularity. Just over 220 players participated in August while more than 620 players entered the event in October.

Heats offers players a choice of days in which to commence their quest for the Grand Tournament title and, as such, emulates major offline poker tournaments that also split participation fields over several starting days in order to accommodate all contestants.
While space constraints is the predominant reason why heats, or flights, are implemented in offline games, Ongame Network and its more than 25 poker partner sites developed the concept primarily to increase a player’s accessibility and choice.

“The driving force behind the recent increase in contestants is largely due to the added flight on Fridays, which has become immensely popular,” said Tomer Katz, spokesperson of the Ongame Network.

“We are now looking into the possibility of introducing other innovative features that will spice up the event even further.”

Due to the recent increase in players, the Grand Tournament XIX (23-25 November 2007), will include a $500,000 prize pool guarantee. During this tournament, Heats will run on Friday and Saturday with survivors from the two heats meeting for the traditional final on Sunday. Qualifiers are available across all Ongame Network partner sites.

Ongame Network enters into partnership with Mansion.com

Ongame Network is pleased to announce the addition of Mansion.com to its partner stock. With its ambitious brand and professional organisation, Mansion.com fits perfectly with the network’s ideal partner profile and the deal will strengthen the poker offering within the network.

“Together with MANSION.com and our twenty six established partner brands, we are poised to move our online poker network to a whole new level,” explains Tomer Katz, spokesperson for Ongame Network.

Mansion Group CEO Guy Gussarsky:

“We chose Ongame Network as one of the most tried and trusted platforms online and for their superior Poker software, but an equally important deal-maker has been their ability to enhance our business rather than consume it.”

The migration of the entire Mansion.com player base to the new Ongame Network poker platform was successfully completed overnight beating all previous capacity and lead time records. Mansion.com has thus already opened up its doors to the fun, vibrant and innovative Ongame Network poker gaming environment.

Ongame Network set to launch Poker Heat Tournaments

Ongame Network Ltd, a subdivision of the bwin Group and a leading provider of online gaming platforms, has announced the release of Heat Tournaments – a new poker tournament feature adding a new dimension to online poker tournament play.

Customers of any of the over twenty Ongame Network partner sites will now be able to participate in online poker tournaments featuring multiple starting heats, or flights, just as in many major offline poker tournaments.

Each heat in a tournament event is scheduled to start separately from the other heats and will last for a specified period of time. Players still standing at the end of each heat will bring their chip stacks with them and merge with survivors of the other heats and play it out in final set at a later time or even date.

“The benefits of having the option to use heats when setting up tournaments are two-fold,” says Tomer Katz, spokesperson for Ongame Network.

“One, we can now do a better job of tailoring our partners’ tournaments in accordance with the habits, geographical origin and overall scheduling demands of their customers. Secondly, players can participate in tournaments with even bigger fields than before without the drawback of having to dedicate more than a few hours at a time in order to be able to finish them.”

The first opportunity players have to experience the new format will be in the 17th edition of the acclaimed Grand Tournament that will run across the Ongame Network on 28 September to 30September. For the first time ever, poker players will have a choice of starting this $200,000 prize pool tournament either on Friday 28 or on Saturday 29 September.

Other events based on this exciting online poker tournament product will follow later this fall.

Ongame Network to host exclusive Opening Night Party at EiG

Ongame Network is proud to welcome its partners and other authorities within the e-gaming industry to a special venue on the opening night of the annual EiG conference to be held in Barcelona starting October 2.

Opening Night @ the Casino will be an excellent opportunity for existing partners, potential partners, media representatives and other industry insiders to enjoy a classy evening in the fabulous Casino de Barcelona courtesy of the world’s number one poker network.

Invitees will be treated to a seated buffet-and-drinks for two as well as one entry to a special fun-filled poker tournament with exciting prizes to be awarded during the tournament’s final showdown. This showdown will take place inside the Ongame Network EiG booth #320 at 4:00 pm on day two of the EiG!

Dinner will be served from 8:00 pm in Brasserie Casino de Barcelona with the tournament, expected to last about two hours, commencing at 10:00 pm in the official poker room next door.

To apply for an invitation or to attain further details, please contact partner@ongamenetwork.com

You can also visit the Ongame Network booth after the opening ceremony of the EIG where we will distribute a limited number of invitations.

Ongame Network Seals Partner Agreement With Redbet

Cementing its strong position on the European e-gaming market, Ongame Network, a subdivision of the bwin Group and a leading provider of online gaming platforms, has disclosed a new agreement with the British gaming house Redbet Ltd.

The Redbet group operates and manages several gaming brands including Redbet, TotalPoker, GoldClubCasino and MingelBingo.

Following the deal, several poker sites within the Redbet sphere will switch to Ongame Network poker software and join one of the world’s largest poker networks.

The first site, NextPoker.com was deployed on Saturday, June 31 and is ready for launch.

“We are delighted to partner up with such an accomplished and long-term player within the e-gaming market,” says Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network.

“NextPoker.com is an exciting brand spearheaded by industry veterans that we are convinced will make the best out of our vast offering of games, tournaments, software features and customization capabilities.”

For further information please contact:
Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network
Phone: +46 8 789 12 40
E-mail: martin.lerby@ongamenetwork.com

Boosted Grand Tournament turns into Short-handed Event.

In line with an increasing demand from the poker playing community, the 15th edition of the hailed $1,000 monthly Grand Tournament will be played out in a short-handed format across the Ongame Network at the end of July.

With a new $200,000 Guarantee but with the same unique stack and blind structure used in the past, the Grand Tournament is now set to become the most exciting regular short-handed online poker tournament available.

Grand Tournament XV Information

Buy-in: $1,000+40
Guarantee: $200,000
Day 1: Saturday, July 28, 6:00 pm GMT – 6 hours of play
Day 2: Saturday, July 29, 6:00 pm GMT
Starting Stack: 10,000 chips
Blind levels: 30 minutes
Players / table: 6

Poker Legend Johnny Chan to Feature on New Ongame Network Partner Site

Chanpoker.com, a new online poker venture affiliated with poker legend and three times world champion Johnny Chan, has signed with Ongame Network – one of the world’s largest online poker networks and a premium supplier of poker and casino software. The Chanpoker.com site is scheduled to launch on 30 March: once it is live, players will be able to greet, meet and face one of poker’s most celebrated superstars represented by a specially customized avatar.

“It’s a great honour for us to have been chosen by Johnny Chan and the team behind Chanpoker.com, and we loved the idea of creating an avatar exclusively for Mr. Chan” enthuses Martin Lerby, head of Ongame Network. “We look forward to seeing him play on chanpoker.com and fulfilling many poker player’s dreams of being able to play against him and possibly even beat him”.

Players will not only be able to play against Johnny Chan, but will even be able to take lessons and tutoring from him at the Chanpoker school of poker. Special live tournaments, freerolls and opportunities to meet the legend face-to-face are just some of the other attractions that will make Chanpoker unique.

“Joining Ongame Network will ensure that Chanpoker’s players will have an enjoyable and consistent experience on one of the most tried, tested and trusted platforms online” concludes Xander Oxman, Chanpoker’s Marketing Director.

For further information please contact:
Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network
Phone: +46 8 789 12 40
E-mail: martin.lerby@ongamenetwork.com

About Ongame Network:
Ongame Network is a leading provider of business-to-business online and mobile gaming solutions, with a focus on poker. The company provides Windows, Java and mobile poker and casino games to global partners who differentiate their own brands, technologies and promotional strategies. The network consists of 25 operators, and more than 30,000 players can be found playing concurrently at peak times during the day. This makes Ongame Network one of the world’s largest poker networks, offering both operators and their players a wide variety of exciting ring games and tournaments to choose from every hour of every day. Ongame Network is a division of bwin, a leading provider of online gaming entertainment. Further information about Ongame Network can be found on the Internet at www.ongamenetwork.com.

About bwin:
The bwin Group has over 10 million registered customers (including 7 million “play money” customers) in over 20 core target markets. Operating under international and regional licenses in countries like Gibraltar, Kahnawake (Canada), Belize and Germany, Italy, Mexico, Austria and the United Kingdom, the Group has set itself the goal of becoming the number one address for sports betting, games and entertainment via digital distribution channels. The Group offers sports betting, poker, casino games, soft and skill games, as well as audio and video streams on top sporting events such as the German Bundesliga. The parent company bwin Interactive Entertainment AG has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since March 2000 (ID code “BWIN”, Reuters ID code “BWIN.VI”). Further information about the bwin Group can be found on its investor relations website at www.bwin.ag.

Established poker site Heypoker.com switches to Ongame Network

Another established poker site on the Scandinavian market, Heypoker.com, has decided to join the Ongame Poker Network. Heypoker.com has been in operation since 2005 and has established themselves as an industry leader in player retention by launching the first ever Scandinavian VIP player shop as well as also sponsoring an all-girls poker team, “Heyhoneys”.

“We chose Ongame Network because we want to offer our customers the best poker tournaments and cash game offering out there. The switch to Ongame Network will also enable us to expand and introduce a wider array of gaming products than before,” says, Björn Lundberg, representative of 360 Online Ltd.

Heypoker.com is a brand under 360 Online Ltd which in turn is a subsidiary of 360bet.com Holding Ltd.

The transition of the Heypoker.com player base is scheduled for March but Ongame Network is already set to handle the increase in player liquidity.

“We are introducing new tables, new tournaments and raising prize pool guarantees virtually every week now,” comments says Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network.

“We are confident that the Heypoker.com players will be more than pleased with their new surroundings.”

$400,000 in Weekly Guaranteed Tournament Prize Money Added!

After a significant re-structuring of our entire poker tournament offering, we are pleased to announce a significant boost in our poker tournament prize pool guarantees.

Throughout March more than $400,000 in weekly guaranteed prize money will be added to the $1,000,000 total already guaranteed on a weekly basis.

Here are some of the changes made to existing tournaments:

The new Grand Tournament guarantee is expected to rise dramatically in the month to come thanks to a new fully flexible qualifying system that was recently introduced across all Ongame Network partner sites.

Here is a selection of some of the new Guarantee fixtures premiering in March:

To play in any of these tournaments, sign-up with one of our poker site partners. A list of our current operators can be found here.

BestPoker switches to Ongame Network

Ongame Network, one of the largest poker networks in the world, today announced the addition of BestPoker (www.bestpoker.com) to its global poker network. BestPoker have chosen to leave their existing poker network and will from the 15th of December use Ongame Network’s poker software, enabling its customers to play poker in the largest poker network in the world.

“We chose Ongame Network due to their technologically superior software, large number of players and the fact that they also offer a Java version which enables our customers to play directly from the website without having to download any software. In addition, Ongame Network allows us to customize our interface to a great extent.” said Henrik Persson, CEO BestPoker.

BestPoker is one of the fastest growing poker rooms in Europe with a stronghold in the competitive Scandinavian market. BestPoker will be the first site within the Ongame Network to launch a VIP Shop.

“We are delighted to welcome BestPoker to the Ongame Network family. BestPoker have within a short period of time managed to become a strong player in the Scandinavian market, and the fact they have chosen us further demonstrates our position as one of the leading poker networks in the world,” said Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network.

For further information please contact:

Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network
Phone: +46 8 789 12 00
Email: martin.lerby@ongamenetwork.com

About Ongame Network:
Ongame Network is a leading provider of business-to-business online and mobile gaming solutions, with a focus on poker. They provide Windows, Java and Mobile poker and casino games to global partners who each differentiate their brand, technology and promotional strategies. The network consists of 25 operators, and more than 20,000 players can be found playing concurrently at peak times every day. This makes Ongame Network the largest poker network in the world, offering operators and their players a wide variety of exciting ring games and tournaments to choose from every hour of every day. Ongame Network is a division of bwin, one of the world’s leading providers of online gaming entertainment. Further information about Ongame Network can be found on the Internet at www.ongamenetwork.com.

About bwin:
The bwin Group has over 10 million registered customers (including 7 million “play money” customers) in over 20 core target markets. Operating under international and regional licences in countries like Gibraltar, Kahnawake (Canada), Belize and Germany, Italy, Mexico, Austria and the United Kingdom, the Group has set itself the goal of becoming the number one address for sports betting, games and entertainment via digital distribution channels. The Group offers sports betting, poker, casino games, soft and skill games, as well as audio and video streams on major sporting events like, for example, the German Bundesliga. The parent company, bwin Interactive Entertainment AG, has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since March 2000 (ID code “BWIN”, Reuters ID code “BWIN.VI”). All details about the company can be found on its investor relations website at www.bwin.ag.

Ongame Network grows even stronger with six new operator additions

Ongame Network today announced the addition of six new operators to its global gaming network. The new operators bring the total number of Ongame Network partners to twenty-five and consolidate its position as the leading provider of business-to-business online and mobile gaming solutions.

The six operators come from different markets around the world. They selected Ongame Network for its unparalleled security, stability and its innovative suite of multi-lingual multi-platform gaming products, particularly online and mobile poker.

“Ongame Network is delighted to welcome these companies on board,” commented Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network. “It demonstrates that, in a turbulent market, Ongame Network continues to lead the way in delivering the richest, most reliable gaming experience based on a robust liquidity that is not US-dependent.”

“Tower Gaming chose to partner with Ongame Network because its reputation and size are unrivalled in the industry,” said Philip Pace, Press Officer, Tower Gaming. “As a growing provider of online gaming solutions, the opportunity offered by Ongame Network was a perfect fit for our ambition. Moreover, we found that working with our counterparts at Ongame Network made the partnership a pleasure.”

“As a partner of Ongame Network, Interwetten Poker is proud to be part of one of the largest, most successful gaming networks in the world,” added Ilja Albrecht, Managing Director, Interwetten Malta. “Ongame Network is the perfect partner for quality, services and games. Our Players can enjoy a fantastic playing experience, and players from around the world can play against each other at any time ”

The six operators are:

Canbet – Canbet is a wholly owned subsidiary of global gaming and wagering company International All Sports Limited (IAS). IAS owns and manages various licensed and regulated Racebooks, Sportsbooks, Casinos and Poker Rooms in both the UK and Australia

Interwetten – One of Europe’s largest and most successful poker operators and sports bookmakers with around 140,000 customers in over 90 countries. More than 3,000 bets per week on football, tennis, ice hockey and many other sports

Poker.gr – Pure-play poker site that is offering a Greek language option for its players

Red Kings and Prime Poker – Two new poker portals from the same operator. Red Kings rewards pocket red kings with $50 – whatever the outcome at the table – as well as offering six popular casino games. Prime Poker boasts fast and easy software downloads and big money tournaments

Tower Gaming – An International focused gaming site which offers Online Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Video Poker, Slots and many more Internet casino games

Winamax – Winamax.com offers multilingual games, the most successful of which are “Le Jeu de l’Entraineur” (a football management game), Winamax Trader and Winamax F1

As Ongame Network prepares for further ambitious growth in 2007, these new additions to its family of operators reinforce its position as the leading provider of gaming solutions.

About Ongame Network:
Ongame Network is a leading provider of business-to-business online and mobile gaming solutions, with a focus on poker. They provide Windows, Java and Mobile poker and casino games to global partners who each differentiate their brand, technology and promotional strategies. The network consists of 20 operators, and more than 25,000 players can be found playing concurrently at peak times every day. This makes Ongame Network the largest poker network in the world, offering operators and their players a wide variety of exciting ring games and tournaments to choose from every hour of every day. Ongame Network is a division of bwin, one of the world’s leading providers of online gaming entertainment. Further information about Ongame Network can be found on the Internet at www.ongamenetwork.com.

About bwin:
The bwin Group has over 10 million registered customers (including 7 million “play money” customers) in over 20 core target markets. Operating under international and regional licenses in countries like Gibraltar, Kahnawake (Canada), Belize and Germany, Italy, Mexico, Austria and the United Kingdom, the Group has set itself the goal of becoming the number one address for sports betting, games and entertainment via digital distribution channels. The Group offers sports betting, poker, casino games and soft games, as well as audio and video streams on top sporting events like, for example, the German Bundesliga. The parent company bwin Interactive Entertainment AG has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since March 2000 (ID code “BWIN”, Reuters ID code “BWIN.VI”). Further information about the Company can be found on its investor relations website at www.bwin.ag.

For further information, please contact:
Matt Campbell, Mantra PR
Tel: +44 20 7907 7828
E-mail: mcampbell@mantra-pr.com

Peter Marcus, Mantra PR
Tel: +44 20 7907 7803
E-mail: pmarcus@mantra-pr.com

Termination of partnership with Futurebet

We would like to inform you that Ongame Network has served a notice of termination with Futurebet. After several discussions with Futurebet during the last year, Ongame Network terminated the agreement with them on October 5, 2006. Ongame Network will support them to facilitate an organized and peaceful transition. This will include helping move players’ accounts and funds to another network.

Ongame Network has strict policies on what we believe is correct and respectful treatment of players. We are committed to the highest standard among our operators and their players. This forces us to sometimes take action toward operators that do not live up to those standards.
Ongame Network works continuously to keep protecting and developing the quality of the network.

If you have any questions in the meanwhile, please contact partner@ongamenetwork.com.

Yours,
Ongame Network

President Geoorge W. Bush signs US SAFE Port Act into law

On September 30, 2006 the US Congress passed the “SAFE Port Act” which also contained certain provisions known as the “Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006” that affects the processing of payments between US customers and certain online gaming companies. This legislation was signed into law by President George Bush on October 13, 2006.

More information on this will be posted here shortly.

Latest Ongame Network Poker Classic updates can be found at www.ongameclassic.com/blog.

Ongame Network will continue operation at the highest level and improve our position in the industry. We will continue to keep you updated on all development regarding this issue.

If you have any questions in the meanwhile, please contact partner@ongamenetwork.com.

Yours,
Ongame Network

World’s largest online poker tournament in history rescheduled to accomodate more players

In order to give more players a chance to participate in this special event, Ongame Network has rescheduled the Ongame Network Poker Classic (ONPC), a tournament with a record-breaking guaranteed prize pool of $ 5 million and at least $ 1 million for the final winner. Several new poker operators will be joining the network shortly – including bwin Poker – and their players all want the chance to become millionaires.

The ONPC will be a “flight” tournament starting online on 4 November and pausing when 45 players remain. They will then be flown to Barcelona, Spain, for a live final where they will battle each other face to face on the green felt for at least $ 1 million – continuing with the same chip stacks they had when the online tournament paused. The final will take place at the prestigious Casino de Barcelona during the weekend of 2-3 December 2006.

Now with an additional $ 50,000 freeroll, the world’s largest online poker tournament will also have the world’s largest overlay! In addition to the tickets they have to the ONPC final on 4 November, players who qualify by midnight ET on 2 September will also receive tickets to the exclusive $ 50,000 freeroll scheduled for 4.00 p.m. ET on 3 September. This extra value is being offered as goodwill to players who may be inconvenienced by the event’s new dates.

The ONPC will have the largest-ever guaranteed prize for an event starting online. The online event will have a $ 5,000+200 entry fee, but there is also a tiered satellite qualification system where players can now gain entry through numerous scheduled MTT and SnG events. Players can only enter this exclusive event through qualifying rounds held on Ongame Network operators’ websites. Ongame Network´s operators are working together to host this innovative event for all their players. A full list of their websites can be found below.

Poker players who want to participate can progress through qualifiers starting at $ 1 – so the final winner stands to get a one million percent return on his or her initial buy-in. SnG and MTT qualifiers are now running.

To participate in the Ongame Network Poker Classic, players should register an account with one of the network’s operators. Qualifiers are already under way on the following sites:

AmericasCardroom – www.AmericasCardroom.com
Betsson – www.betsson.com
Bet24 – www.Bet24.com
Canbet.com – www.Canbet.com
CaribSports – www.Caribsports.com
Check n Raise Poker.com – www.checknraisepoker.com
Cherry Casino – www.CherryCasino.com
Coral – www.coral.co.uk
Euro Casino – www.CasinoEuro.com
Ecardroom.com – www.eCardRoom.com
EuroPoker.com – www.EuroPoker.com
Eurobet – www.Eurobet.com
FullContactPoker.com – www.FullContactPoker.com
Gaming Corp – www.casino.co.uk
HoldemPoker.com – www.HoldemPoker.com
HollywoodPoker – www.HollywoodPoker.com
Interwetten – www.interwetten.com
PAF – www.PAF.fi
PokerLoco – www.PokerLoco.com
PokerRoom – www.PokerRoom.com

About Ongame Network:
Ongame Network is a leading provider of business-to-business online and mobile gaming solutions, with a focus on poker. Windows, Java and mobile poker and casino games are provided to global partners, who differentiate their own brands, technologies and promotional strategies. The Poker network consists of 20 operators, and over 20,000 players can be found playing concurrently at peak times every day. This makes Ongame Network the world’s largest poker network, offering operators and their players a wide variety of exciting ring games and tournaments to choose from every hour of every day. Ongame Network is part of the bwin group, one of the world’s leading providers of online gaming entertainment. Further information about Ongame Network can be found on the Internet at www.ongamenetwork.com.

About bwin:
The bwin Group has over 10 million registered customers (including 7 million “play money” customers) in over 20 core target markets. Operating under international and regional licences in countries like Gibraltar, Kahnawake (Canada), Belize and Germany, Italy, Mexico, Austria and the United Kingdom, the Group has set itself the goal of becoming the number one address for sports betting, games and entertainment via digital distribution channels. The parent company bwin Interactive Entertainment AG has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since March 2000 (ID code “BWIN”, Reuters ID code “BWIN.VI”). Further information about the company can be found on its investor relations website at www.bwin.ag.