In 2013, Zynga launched a real-money online gambling product. It was a long-awaited move from the social gaming operator – but it would not be long-lasting. Unfortunately, Zynga has announced that it will be closing its real-money sites: Zynga Plus Poker and Zynga Plus Casino. This week, Zynga and bwin.party ended their partnership in the real-money gambling market.
The two companies paired up in April 2013 in order to offer casino and poker games to players in regulated markets. Their goal was to attract players from the social gaming market with the development of the Zynga Plus real-money gambling brands. While the two companies have not yet confirmed the reason that they have shut down the sites, it seems to be fairly obvious.
It is likely that they were not performing as well as Zynga or bwin.party expected. This is the latest in a long line of terminations for Zynga. The company has been on the decline for quite some time, shutting down many of its social games and letting go of hundreds of employees.
While the Zynga Plus real-money gambling venture was intended to help Zynga turn things around, it has gone the same way as the company’s other recent recovery efforts. Zynga has messaged players to let them know about the closure. All players who still have money in their accounts have been instructed to withdraw it as soon as possible.
“We are very sorry to announce that ZyngaPlusPoker and ZyngaPlusCasino will be closing shortly,” reads a statement from Zynga. “If you have a balance please log in to withdraw it.” There is no word on when exactly the sites will go down; however, be sure to withdraw your cash as soon as you can.