Zynga in online gambling talks
Social gaming giant exploring options with Zynga Poker
Zynga could soon offer its poker players the chance to gamble with something more than virtual currency, after it confirmed it is looking at a move into online gambling.
"Zynga Poker is the world's largest online poker game with more than 7 million people playing every day and over 30 million each month," a Zynga spokesperson told AllThingsD
"We know from listening to our players that there's an interest in the real money gambling market. We're in active conversations with potential partners to better understand and explore this new opportunity."
Zynga has already announced its plans for Zynga Casino, based on its success with Zynga Poker. It will act as a hub for new games such as Zynga Bingo.
Despite the confirmation real money poker tournaments could be a way off for any social gaming company, as American legislation banned online gambling in 2006.
The Justice Department recently ruled that this ban specifically covered betting on sports, so there are suggestions games like poker could be allowed, but the timeline for when is unclear
Zynga aren't the only company betting on it though. Earlier this month gambling specialists IGT bought social developer DoubleDown for $500 million.