Bwin launches online poker platform in Italy

AUSTRIA -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- bwin added online poker to its Italian website www.bwin.it on October 19. This also marked the launch for the new P5 Poker Engine which was developed by Ongame Network.

As the core system that drives the poker platform, the new P5 Poker Engine will dramatically improve the performance of the company's online poker platform and change the way online poker is played, experienced and perceived. It also significantly improves Ongame Network's capacity, being able to accommodate up to 200,000 concurrent users.

"P5 represents a substantial investment and was developed in-house at the B2B company Ongame Network. We decided to go to the very heart of our game engine and rethink every line of code – and re-write it if necessary. P5 represents a shift in mentality as much as it represents a shift in technology," says Norbert Teufelberger, Co-CEO of bwin.

The P5 Poker Engine is completely modular in its design and provides scalability without risking stability. As code releases can be hot-deployed, it permits around-the-clock operation without the need to close down the service for maintenance and upgrade purposes.

Co-CEO Manfred Bodner is also confident that consumers in Italy will welcome the new product introduction, made possible by the recent change in Italian laws that permit the introduction of online poker on www.bwin.it: "No other product offers customers the performance, reliability and speed – coupled with such great graphics and usability. Our customers in Italy will be the first ones to benefit from the brand new game clients that offer a very sleek and intuitive gaming experience."