The question has been answered.
A spokesperson for social gaming giant Zynga is in a discussion with several partners concerning the move into real money online gambling markets according to a report from All Things D.
“We build games and experiences that our players want and love. 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. 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's free play business model could see changes if the U.S. legalizes online gambling. Zynga's revenue at this time is gained through advertising and the sale of virtual goods like virtual chips in Zynga Poker. Until the announcement came on Friday, January 20th, the company maintained it was happy with its business model and showed no interest in going after a real money platform.
Recently the Department of Justice issued a statement that appears to give states in the U.S. the right to implement online gambling platforms and many gaming operators - Zynga and others - are beginning to explore ways to take advantage of opportunities that could generate millions, even billions of dollars in revenue.
In October of 2011 Zynga sold 100,000 shares at $10 apiece when it opened its initial public offering. Almost immediately after going public, the stock price dropped to around $8 and hasn't climbed above its initial offering price yet. When news of the online gambling interest hit, the stock saw a 5 percent increase on Friday morning.
PokerNews.com reached out to Zynga for a comment but has not received a reply yet.
Follow PokerWorks on Twitter! And like us on Facebook to stay updated with poker news, events, and promotions.