Microgaming Network will officially cease all poker-related activities at the beginning of next year. The exact date is not provided, but Alex Scott suggests that it will likely happen in the second or third quarter of 2020. Until this period, MPN will continue to provide services to poker rooms, so tournaments, cash games, and all other poker formats will still take place. According to Alex Scott, although Microgaming has been improving its poker product for a long time, after a review of the company and the product, it was decided that online poker no longer aligns with the company's strategic vision and will be discontinued to encourage growth in other areas. MPN General Director John Coleman states that this decision will not completely remove poker from Microgaming's vision, but he does not detail what the future holds for this card game.
Microgaming Network provides online poker services to rooms such as betsafe, Redstar, NordicBet, Olybet, and many other lesser-known companies (the full list can be found on the official MPN website). In a MPN blog post, Alex Scott states that all rooms currently using MPN services will seek other providers and do not plan to stop poker-related activities, so players should not worry. However, it is possible that the number of players in these poker rooms may change significantly, as companies will likely find different software providers. Until now, all rooms serviced by MPN shared a common player base.
All tournaments (MPN Poker Tour, The Universal Championship of Poker Series) scheduled before this announcement will not be canceled. There is one unannounced planned poker event about which more details will be revealed before the start of the MPN Poker Tour in Malta.
This Microgaming Network decision could significantly change the market for smaller poker rooms. It is difficult to predict the upcoming changes in advance, as there may be a consolidation of poker rooms into one network, but some may follow the example of Unibet and become independent of networks.
