One of the most important factors when looking at the top online poker sites in the US, is their reputation / track record within the industry. Some companies have a long history of offering online poker in various forms going back over a decade, whilst others are new, fresh start-ups.
The latter are often the ones licensed (legally) under new US licences (Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey), but lack the decades-long track record that the older poker sites have.
Reasons Why Playing Online Slots Is Better Than at a CasinoIn short – would an established company with billions behind it (either in the stock market or connected via parent companies) really put that all at risk by ripping off customers or refusing to pay out legitimate winnings? Unlikely.
Sure, things can always go wrong (and regrettably they sometimes do) but your money and personal data is always safer with a bigger, more established operator. The smaller start-up sites have to grow and build trust from scratch – the big players already have this inherently built in (along with economies of scale and vastly greater resources).
What follows is an overview of some of the major corporations and parent companies which either own, invest in or are linked to some of your favorite US poker sites. This information should give you a rough idea about each site’s reputation and financial stability. There are also some interesting side-notes and trivia snippets regarding some of the bigger mergers and acquisitions along the way.
Must-Play Las Vegas Slots You Can Play OnlineAmaya Inc (Simple Biddings - Full Tilt / Rational Group Takeover)
Amaya Inc was founded in Montreal, Canada, in 2004 under the name ‘Simple Biddings’. The original purpose of the company was to develop technology for online auction sites. Two guys, David Clain and Derek Bayley, started the company with $1 million in investment.
Fast forward a couple of years and there was another, much bigger name, poker card on the table for Amaya Inc. In 2007, just three days after the unregulated, offshore UIGEA act was passed in the US, founders Clayton Fletcher and David Clain made the bold decision to sell the fast-growing company to the Rational Group - the company owned by Isai and Mark Scheinberg, which in turn owned several major poker sites including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and StarsDraft.
The purchase price was reported as $15 million - although some reports suggested a higher figure. Either way, this turned out to be one of the best investments ever made in the world of online poker. Especially when Amaya Inc then went public on the London Stock Exchange in 2014 - with an initial valuation of £2.6 billion ($3.8billion USD).
Yes, that’s a return on investment of more than 180 times suas investment - in just seven short years. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Although, of course, the Rational Group were not slow to react when it mattered too. Within days of the UIGEA act being passed, they had snapped up the fast-growing Amaya Inc away from the prying eyes of their competitors.
Top No Deposit Bonus Codes for Casino Cash in 2023Aside from this mega-clever move, the Rational Group were smart enough to hang on to PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and StarsDraft throughout the post-UIGEA exodium of rivals. Most left the US market altogether. Or tried to operate from offshore locations. Or both. The result? By the time PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and StarsDraft came back to the US market via NJ and NV licensing deals – there was simply no competition. It’s no surprise these days that, combined, the Rational Group brands account for more than 95% of all US online poker revenue.
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Despite the continued dominance of the PokerStars, Full Tilt and StarsDraft brands, Isai and Mark Scheinberg eventually fell foul of US authorities. They were hit with multi-million dollar fines for their part in setting up and operating the business during the US ban years.
This led to Isai stepping down from the company in 2017 and his son Mark taking a back seat too. Amaya Inc duly changed its name to 'The Star Group' to distance itself from the Rational Group. As of 2022 Mark Scheinberg has been fully cleared of any further action - and is pushing hard to get PokerStars readmitted to the US and UK markets. Whether this will happen remains to be seen.
Best Free Poker Apps (Android & iPhone) - Game-Like FunApollo Global Management / Hartford Financial Services Group (Chicago Poker Club Takes Over BetOnline, Tiger Gaming etc.)
OK, so no-one knows what the Chicago Poker Club is. And don’t worry – this isn’t some kind of mafia link. It’s simply the name being used by the Ascend Capital group for their latest acquisition of BetOnline, Tiger Gaming, SportsBetting.ag and related sites. Ascend Capital is now fronted by iGaming veterans Armen Tonapetyan and Hector ‘Buzz’ Bitran. Both men have decades of experience in the industry going back to the early 2000s.
However, this latest iteration of the company is ultimately owned by two much bigger entities – Apollo Global Management and Hartford Financial Services Group. Here’s how things break down:
- Ascend Capital (Chicago Poker Club) owns the poker, sportsbetting and casino sites of BetOnline, Tiger Gaming, SportsBetting.ag, SportsBetting.ag Racebook and Tiger Gaming Casino.
- Ascend Capital is backed by Apollo Global Management.
- Apollo Global Management also owns Hartford Financial Services Group.
Phew. Clear as mud, right? Let’s look at those connections in brief:
Ascend Capital (Chicago Poker Club)
Ascend Capital was founded in 2009 and quickly became a player in the world of offshore online gambling sites. Their main focus was the US market, where they offered poker, sportsbetting and casinos games via several sites. Tonapetyan has been quoted as saying the company’s goal is “to become the most trusted name in online gaming”. We shall see. Time will tell if players share his view.
Apollo Global Management
This is a much larger NYSE-listed alternative asset manager. It has assets under management of approximately US$473 billion as of June 30, 2022. The company was founded in 1990 and has a diverse portfolio of investments across multiple industries, including finance, healthcare, energy, real estate, and media. Apollo Global Management uses third-party debt and equity co-investors in its investments, and has completed leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, growth capital investments, and distressed investments.
Poker Sites That Offer Free Money to New Players in 2023Now, here’s the thing. When a large, diversified corporation gets involved with online poker / gaming sites, it instantly gives them more legitimacy and stability. Even if those sites are technically considered ‘offshore’ by US regulators. Why? Because Apollo Global Management is publicly traded (meaning everything is open to scrutiny) and massively liquid (with a market cap of around $17bn at the time of writing). Do you think they’re really going to risk it all by ripping off a few poker / casino players? Not a chance. Yes, the Chicago Poker Club operation is still based offshore and therefore not subject to US regulation. However, the fact such a huge, reputable and transparent entity is backing it does add a layer of safety and security for players.
Hartford Financial Services Group
This is an American holding company that manages a range of insurance company subsidiaries, including Hartford Fire Insurance Company (founded in 1810). The company is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. On paper, Apollo Global Management acquired a majority stake in Hartford Financial Services Group in 2020. A deal which closed in March 2021. The transaction included an equity value of approximately $2.1 billion, and Hartford retained approximately 20% of its common shares outstanding upon closing. The remaining balance of Hartford Financial Services Group is currently around $8bn. Again, everything is openly trading on the stock exchange – meaning nothing can slip by unnoticed.
Best Casino OK Getbacks to If State Bans GamblingSo, in summary, the Chicago Poker Club operation is backed by BetOnline, Tiger Gaming etc., by the more encompassing Ascend Capital group. Ascend Capital is supported by Apollo Global Management – a huge, publicly traded company with nothing to gain from ripping off a few poker, betting or casino players. Meaning your funds and personal details are safer with these sites than almost any other ‘offshore’ option.
Flutter Entertainment (Stan James, SportingBet, Titan Poker, Pacific Poker, Betfair, PaddyPower, PartyPoker)
Flutter Entertainment was formed in 2020 by the merger of PaddyPower Betfair and Irish bookmaker Flutter Entertainment (formerly known as PaddyPower Betfair). The new company has a wide range of online gambling brands under its umbrella. Including well-known names like PartyPoker, Betfair, PaddyPower, SportingBet, Stan James, Titan Poker and Pacific Poker.
No Deposit Bonus Casinos in the USA for 2023Let’s take a trip back through the years to see how we got here…
PartyGaming / PartyPoker (ElectraWorks)
PartyGaming was founded in 1997 by Ruth Parasol and her husband Anurall Parasil. The company’s first product was Fox Poker, a free online poker game developed for News Corp’s Fox Sports website. In 2001, the company launched PartyPoker, which quickly became one of the most popular online poker sites in the world. PartyGaming went public on the London Stock Exchange in 2005, with a market capitalization of over $8 billion at its peak.
Then came the 2006 Unlawful Internet Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which forced the company off the NYSE and out of the US market. PartyGaming subsequently divested itself of all its poker facing marketing affiliates and stopped accepting US players. Revenue dropped sharply as a result. The shares plummeted and the company was delisted from the London Stock Exchange in 2011.
Despite bouncing back somewhat with a renewed focus on casino and bingo offerings, PartyGaming was hit with a huge fine in 2015 for accepting bets from US players in 2010 and 2011. The Netherlands Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) ruled that PartyGaming had breached Dutch gambling laws and fined the company €11.2m ($12.6m).
Since then, PartyGaming has been folded into the Flutter Entertainment fold as part of its Betfair purchase. The poker software is still used for Betfair Poker, while the old PartyPoker site was rebranded as bwin Party – which itself later morphed into PartyCasino. All of these brands are now subsumed under the overall bwin branding under Flutter Entertainment.
video slots onlineBETFAIR
was founded in 2000 by a couple of traders, Andrew Wrack and Ed Wray. The company disrupted the traditional bookmaking model with its revolutionary peer-to-peer (P2P) betting exchange platform. Instead of betting against a bookmaker, users could place bets directly against each other.
BETFAIR went live in 2000 and grew rapidly, thanks in part to heavy sponsorship of British sporting events. The company floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2010, with a market capitalization of over £1 billion. Flutter Entertainment bought out BETFAIR in 2020 as part of a merger.
PaddyPower / Betfair (Poker)
is an Irish bookmaker founded in 1988. The company was created through the merger of three independent Irish bookmakers: Paddy Power, Gilbert Power, and Stewart Kenny.
The company gained a reputation for its provocative advertising campaigns and stunts, such as offering odds on the outcome of Cardiff's ferry port relocation project and proposing to change the name of Dublin Zoo's new gorilla to Barack Obama in honor of the then-president's visit to Ireland. PaddyPower went public on the Irish Stock Exchange in 2005 and the London Stock Exchange in 2009.
Ways to Play Free Poker Online in 2023In 2020, PaddyPower merged with Betfair to form Flutter Entertainment. The enlarged group has a strong presence in Europe and Australia, with a portfolio of well-known brands including Betfair, PaddyPower, and SportingBet.
SportingBet
was founded in 1998 by Andrew Parmoyrtas and Neil McGuigan. The company initially focused on serving the UK market but soon expanded to other countries. SportingBet went public on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in 2003, with a market capitalization of over £500 million.
However, the company ran into trouble in the US market following the passage of the UIGEA act. Like all its rivals, SportingBet pulled out - but not before its founder and CEO, Linington Strachan, was indicted by the US Department of Justice on charges of violating the Wire Act. The indictment was eventually dropped as part of a settlement agreement with the DOJ.
SportingBet was acquired by GVC Holdings in 2016. The brand is still active under the GVC banner, although it’s secondary to GVC’s other major holdings (such as , Nadu and SportingBet ES).
Poker No Deposit Bonus - Review of the Free Play OfferOther Brands Under The Flutter Entertainment Umbrella
Those are the main pillars of the Flutter Entertainment structure. However, there are many other well-known brands under the overall Flutter Entertainment umbrella. Here’s a quick rundown:
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(Formerly bet365 poker) -- Joined the parts poker network in September 2022. Stoyan Dadov is leading the charge.
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(Formerly StanleyBet) -- Rejoined the parts poker network in October 2022.
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(Formerly Titan Poker) -- Joined the parts poker network in October 2022.
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(Formerly Olympic Poker) -- Joined the parts poker network in October 2022.
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(Former Nordic poker brand) Joined the parts poker network in October 2022.
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(Former Italian poker brand) Joined the parts poker network in October 2022.
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(Former Danish poker brand) Joined the parts poker network in October 2022.
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Does BetOnline Have Legit Poker and Casino Games in the USA?
Yes. While BetOnline is classified as an ‘Offshore’ operator by state-licensed sites - it is still very legit indeed. The company is actually part of a wider Ascend Capital group which is backed by Apollo Global Management - which in turn owns the Hartford Financial Services Group. Given everything is openly traded on the stock market, your money is far safer with operators like BetOnline than unregulated, unlicensed sites hiding in the shadows.
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Who Owns BetOnline Now?
BetOnline is owned by Ascend Capital - which is the parent company of related sites including Tiger Gaming and SportsBetting.ag. Ascend Capital is considered to ‘own’ these sites because they purchased the domains / businesses following the closure of DuckyMob in 2019. Prior to that, BetOnline was owner and founder Gary Darcy - who sold the site to DuckyMob and exited the picture in 2013.
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Is BetOnline Trustworthy?
Yes. See above.
States to Watch in 2023 as Online Poker Goes Mainstream -
Which US States is BetOnline Allowed to Operate In?
BetOnline is officially defined as an ‘Offshore’ operator. This means it is not licensed by any individual US state. However, the company clearly states that it does not accept registrations from every US state. You can find a full list of excluded states on the T&Cs page. Generally speaking, BetOnline can’t accept players from Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey and Connecticut - because those states have their own legal, regulated online gambling sites. BetOnline is also unable to accept players from Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Washington and Idaho.
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How Long Has BetOnline Been Around?
BetOnline has been running since 2001.
