Entraction Rebranded as IGT Poker Network

International Game Technology, the gaming manufacturing giant that is behind many of the most popular brick-and-mortar and online video slots, joined the online poker world last March by purchasing the Entraction Poker Network. Today, they announced a change in name to the poker network, which will now be known as the IGT Poker Network.

Last March, IGT paid $115 million in order to gain control of Entraction, an online poker network based out of Sweden. The move was made in an effort to prepare for the potential liberalization of the poker market in the United States, as well as to give the firm a foothold in the online poker world.

The IGT branding could help the poker network in the United States. IGT is obviously a well-known company to Vegas casinos and the Nevada Gaming Commission; with Nevada now offering online poker operating licenses, IGT was one of the first companies to apply for such a license and could be a major player in that market.

IGT is already one of the biggest names in all of gambling. The company provides software and hardware to casinos around the world, bringing in revenues of nearly $2 billion per year.

The name change is just the latest step towards legitimizing the IGT brand as a player in the online poker market. Last fall, IGT decided they would cut service on Entraction to several countries, including Canada, Russia, Israel and Turkey, in order to comply with local laws in those nations.

At the upcoming ICE online gaming expo in London, IGT plans to show what the newly branded network will bring to the table for players and room operators.

“All Entraction products will be shown under the IGT brand,” the company said in a press release. “Conference attendees will see how IGT’s poker network is a serious and competitive alternative for existing poker operators.”