Online gambling giants Betfair and Ongame, a subsidiary of Bwin Interactive, have announced a major partnership arrangement that will see Betfair Poker becoming a member of the Ongame global online poker network by the end of this (July 2010) month.

This landmark agreement will see a significant player liquidity migration to Ongame Network from Betfair Pokers standalone poker room, the two companies claim.

By operating on Ongame Networks P5 Poker Engine, Betfair Poker will offer its players an enhanced gaming environment, suitable for any poker wallet, with the liquidity to energise cash games and tournaments.

Daniel Svard, Head of Betfair Poker, said: This move is a conscious effort to place our poker players at the forefront of our product offering. Betfair Poker players will have access to more games, at all times of the day.

Both companies are dedicated to the long term improvement to player experience. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with Ongame Network.

Betfair is the ideal kind of long-term partner for Ongame Network: a respected gaming brand and technically mature, said Martin Lerby, head of Ongame Network. In our competitive industry, we welcome the player liquidity and poker knowledge that Betfair brings to our network.

On July 27th, rakeback players that signed up before the announcement will be grandfathered in but new players and players currently not getting rakeback will move to a VIP program.

Betfair currently uses online poker software bought some time ago from Poker Champs.