Two of the biggest online casino gambling companies have officially announced that they are to merge. Bwin and PartyGaming will come together to form one super company, sure to dominate the global online gambling sphere. Although neither company operates in the US, they have a big presence in almost every other corner of the earth. Bwin are particularly popular in Europe, both for their casino and bwin poker download.

The merger had been rumored for some time, but the completion of the deal had to wait on a vote from the company’s two sets of shareholders. When the results had been collated, it showed an overwhelming majority in favour of the move, from both sides. The deal will be officially completed on March 31st.

Jim Ryan, the current CEO of PartyGaming will become co-CEO with the head of bwin, Norbert Teufelberger. In a joint statement, the pair declared their pleasure at the news of the deal’s approval:

“We are delighted that both sets of shareholders have overwhelmingly recognised the strategic, operational and financial benefits of creating the world’s largest listed online gaming company.”

Fans of online poker will doubtless be wondering what this means for the two competing networks. Early word is that the PartyGaming and Bwin networks are to merge. Neither currently allows any ancillary companies to piggyback on their player base, so this will be the first time for a while that users from either side have had to face a large influx of new players.

Both sites will retain their brand identity, but whether or not first deposit bonus and tournament schedules become shared remains to be seen. Both bwin and PartyPoker operate a VIP service, regulated by points accrued. With shared cash tables and tournament fees, it seems likely that the current systems will also have to merge in some way.

The creation of this new company will save the pair around €55 million a year. In these tough economic times, these kinds of vital. According to the deal, bwin’s shareholders will control 51.64% of the company. Keep your eyes on FTR for updates to how this will affect players from both online casino and poker sites.