In a surprise announcement this week Ongame-powered AcePlay Poker, a free-play online poker room offered by the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, announced that it is to close in November without moving up to real-money status.
Coming on the heels of news that New Jersey is to join Delaware and Nevada in sharing poker player pools (see previous InfoPowa reports) the decision to close seemed premature, bearing in mind that the enterprise already has a licence, held by its parent company American Casino & Entertainment Properties (the owner of the Stratosphere).
The reason soon became clear; the decision is a consequence of American Casino & Entertainment Properties’ recent acquisition by Golden Entertainment in a $850 million deal.
Founded as an initially free-to-play site in 2013, acePLAYpoker.com was designed to build online business ahead of a switch to real-money action once Nevada legalised online poker. When legalisation took place, American Casino & Entertainment Properties intriguingly did not take advantage of its licence and pursue a real-money business model.