In yet another sign of the seismic changes rocking the online poker world, PokerStrategy and bwin.party are severing their longtime relationship.
The reasons behind the breakup are still unclear and neither party is doling out much in the way of specifics. A press release posted on the PokerStrategy website said only:
Unfortunately, as of midnight on December 28, the partnership between PokerStrategy.com and PartyPoker, bwin and WPT Poker will end.
The release went on to say that Strategy Points earned by current players will honored until 2015.
This isn’t the first time in recent memory that PokerStrategy has said goodbye to an affiliate operator. Late in 2012 the company severed ties with Full Tilt/PokerStars after a dispute over unpaid affiliates revenue dating back to Black Friday. Last summer they also ended their business relationship with 888.
While there’s little question that PokerStrategy is planning to stay in the online poker business, they’ve definitely been cleaning house and branching out their operations lately.
In November the company launched Tradimo, a financial trading school built on their highly successful poker school model.
Diversifying their product portfolio is a pretty good idea in a time when uncertainty is everywhere in the poker affiliate business; and investing affiliate sites do cover the same demographic terrain as gambling sites.
What do you think of the PokerStrategy/bwin.party breakup? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.