Implications of the Tribeca and Ipoker Network merger for US players
CountingMyOuts.com is reporting that Tribeca, Ipoker Network, and Tain will merge by the end of the month. The major implication of the merger is that US players will no not be accepted on the new network. Doyle’s Room, which has been adamant about their desire to continue accepting US players, will be most affected. It is rumored that Doyle’s Room will join the Dobrosoft network. If this is true, Doyle’s Room will actually be joining Digital Gaming Network (DGN) since they acquired Dobrosoft in December 2006. Joining a new network entails some problems, such as the quality of the network, new software, and the transition of player accounts.
Aside from those problems, Doyle’s Room faces potential problems with their US customers. It does not appear that Doyle’s Room will have a new network lined up by the time of the merger. The big question is what will happen between the time of the merger and the time Doyle’s Room joins a US friendly network. US customers face the possibility of being barred from Doyle’s Room if they move to the Ipoker network during this transition period. This scenario could result in a mass exodus of US customers to competing sites. The alternative is not much better. Doyle’s Room could operate without a network and take a significant hit in traffic to avoid a temporary ban of US poker players. The problem is that a further spike in players (both US and non-US) could result if Doyle’s Room remained in flux for too long. The best solution for Doyle’s Room is to join DGN despite the small size of the network and less user friendly software.
The impending merger of Tribeca and Ipoker Network, affects me personally since I am American and play at Doyle’s Room, a site that I have played on for almost two years. In the event that Doyle’s Room switches to a US friendly network, I have two options. 1) I can stay on the site 2) I can move to a new site. This is not a simple decision.
My biggest incentive to stay with Doyle’s Room is my deposit bonus. I need 8,000 more Action Points to clear my bonus and receive one hundred dollars. Neteller’s ban of US poker players also makes switching sites less attractive since this poses problems with depositing money.
Although I have not used DGN’s poker software or played on their network, I am weary of joining networks with a small player base. This decreases my choice of games and the amount of weak players. The change will also require me to adjust to new players and software. Taking these problems under consideration, the 8,000 Action Points that I need to clear my bonus is not worth it. I might as well adjust to new players and software at larger site with weaker competition.
Earlier this morning I chatted with one of the hosts at Doyle’s Room to find to out what they planned to do after the merger. I asked many questions but the host said she knew nothing. When I asked about Doyle’s Room’s status with US players, she gave me this response:
“We at Doyle’s Room have taken extensive legal advice and believe that it is far too early to fully understand the implications of this bill on our industry. Based on the legal advice we have received, the new bill does not make internet poker expressly illegal nor does it take aim at players who enjoy online poker. However, there are some U.S. States that have existing regulations in place that may prohibit online gaming, so we encourage all of our U.S. players to review the laws of the State in which they reside”
I received the same response five months ago, so she probably copy and pasted this response. Either that or she’s memorized the response after typing it out one too many times. I can imagine the hosts get this question a lot.
She also said that Doyle’s Room will let their customers know if any changes were occurring. This is an interesting response considering that it will be March in two weeks. I am left wondering what Doyle’s Room is planning to do once March comes, and what will happen to their US poker players.
Later today I plan to write to the upper management at Doyle’s Room and see what they have to say about all of this.
Tribeca, Doyle’s Room, Ipoker Network, Digital Gaming Network
February 17th, 2007 at 10:53 am
quite a headache for Doyles room players if they decide to join digital gaming network. if it’s ipoker, it’s bad for US players.
February 17th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Thanks for the shoutout, Richard.
It’s sad that U.S. poker players even have to deal with this at all. As a tax-paying adult, you found a site, Doyle’s Room, that you like playing at and spending your disposable income on for entertainment. You shouldn’t have to deal with this at all. None of us should.
Hope you get some answers from DR’s upper management.
February 18th, 2007 at 5:23 am
donny - Yeah, I wish the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act was never passed. It has been more effective than I thought. In my opinion a big reason that the bill was passed was for economic reasons, which is typical and pisses me off. The interesting thing is that the poker sites and Netteller leaving the US market are also doing it for economic reasons it seems.
Micheal- I agree. There’s not much US players can do except move to another country if they want to play poker. I live in California where there are a lot of poker rooms scattered around the state, and not just Indian ones. Yet it’s becoming increasingly hard to play poker online.