After the news that PartyGaming and Bwin would be teaming up to launch a new online gambling brand, it has been rumoured that 888 Holdings is now considering the option of launching its own merger with another well-known online casino company.

Bwin and PartyGaming’s merger will create the biggest online gambling company in the world, worth over $4 billion. That is exponentially larger than any of the online gambling operators currently in existence, even including some of the world’s biggest brands like 888 and The Palace Group. The news of the merger has put the pressure on other big names in the online gaming industry to top Bwin and PartyGaming – and 888 may be just the company to do so.

Should 888 decide to merge with another online gambling company, PartyGaming and Bwin should watch out. 888 and whomever it merges with could blow the rest of the industry out of the water. The company has stated that it has received many phone calls this week from companies who are interested in merging, but 888 is in no rush to make a decision.

“Party and Bwin took almost a year to close the deal, so we don’t see anything happening imminently”, says CEO Gigi Levy.

It will be interesting see what other online casino operators merge in the coming months. Bwin and PartyGaming undoubtedly set a trend in the online gambling world.

The online gambling market in the United States is potentially one of the most lucrative in the world. Despite the country restricting operators from offering online gambling services to its residents, many operators based throughout Europe have continued to operate in the American market. While it seems that they have earned a huge head start for when the market finally is legalized, that may not be the case.

The United States’ government has announced that it may be restricting access to operators who continued to operate in the American market while the UIGEA was enacted. They will be punished not only because it was unfair to other, American-based operators but also because they committed a crime by refusing to exit the market and oblige by the UIGEA.

It is unfortunate for UK- and Europe-based online gambling operators. However, it gives American-based brands a fair shot at the online gambling market. Land-based brands that are owned and operated by American business owners have stayed out of the market so far, but the new law may give them the fighting chance that they have been looking for.

These amendments have only been mentioned so we will have to wait and see if they will actually be implemented.