PartyGaming Ready for New Danish Gambling Laws by January, Danske Spil Agreement or Not

Though PartyGaming’s promised deal with Danish gambling monopoly firm Danske Spil has fallen through, representatives of the company say that they’ll have a platform ready to launch online casino and Internet poker in Denmark in January. 

In January, the new Danish gambling laws will come into effect and the government will begin licensing providers of online gaming within the country. PartyGaming and Danske Spil had reached an agreement under which Party would provide software for the soon-former monopoly’s websites. 

However, Playtech software providers filed a legal complaint in June which claimed that PartyGaming and Danske Spil had not following rules of correct tender procedure; Danish courts found in favor of Playtech and the Party-Danske Spil agreement was declared void. 

Though PartyGaming CEO Jim Ryan emphatically stated “there are no guarantees” that the tender would be ready by January or even that PartyGaming will be working with Danske Spil in the future, his company is nevertheless pushing forward with big plans. 

“We positioned ourselves hopefully to do business with Danske Spil in future,” said Ryan, adding that “what can I tell you is that we are readying [the Party platform] to launch in Denmark on January 1, 2011.”  

The current business plan has PartyGaming using Denmark as a platform to expand its poker room in European markets, with a chronological list that includes Belgium, Greece, and Spain – thereafter, PartyGaming would seek to begin business in Canada and the United States, pending law changes of course.