LONDON, March 22 /PRNewswire/ --

- World's First Fully Interactive Poker Game Available Through Your Mobile

PokerRoom.com, the Swedish online poker giant, has become the first company in the world to launch fully interactive poker games available via mobile phones. From April 2005, players will be able to hone their poker skills over their mobiles playing real people at either 'play money' or 'real money' versions.

The fifth largest poker site in the world has been developing the mobile gaming technology over the last six months. Juniper Research has recently predicted worldwide mobile gaming revenues to increase six-fold by 2009, rising from 2004's US$3.1bn (GBP1.62bn) to US$18.5bn (GBP9.65bn).

Players sign up for the game on the PokerRoom.com site where the game is then sent to their phone for download. They will then be able to play other members of the PokerRoom.com community, either playing at their computer or phone, as well as other mobile phone users on the same network. Unlike other mobile phone games where you pit your wits against a computer, this application allows you to tap into PokerRoom.com's community of more than 3.5 million users worldwide.

PokerRoom.com CEO Patrik Selin said, "Portable poker is a natural evolution for what is fast becoming the nation's cult game. Popularised by TV shows and celebrity players and made more accessible since the boom in online gaming, more and more people are enjoying Poker as a game of skill.

"PokerRoom.com was one of the first sites to bring the game to the masses and now we're the first to let you play others via your mobile phone. You can play over your handset anywhere, anytime. The advance of mobile phone graphics makes the experience almost identical to that of playing online, whether you're playing Texas Hold 'em on the train or at the bus stop. Plus with over 3.5 million people using our site, you're never going to be stuck for fellow players."

The game offers an experience interactively that has not been available in any mobile poker games before. Players can choose between three different views; Normal View which has graphics similar to those seen on PokerRoom.com, Symbol View which gives a view over the whole table with simplified graphics or the Text View which also gives history of how the hand was played. Additionally, there is a chat function allowing players to text one another during the game.

The game also has an offline version where players can play against the computer on three different levels.

Notes to Editors:

- The game will initially be available for SonyEricsson K700i users. The player needs an operator who runs GSM, WCDMA, TDMA. The most important thing is that the network used supports GPRS.

- Security is high, with each user requiring a client key and PIN codes

- Launched in 1999 with a 'play money' format, PokerRoom.com was among the first gaming sites on the internet. In 2001, with the introduction of 'real money' games, the site quickly became one of the top sites with growth rates larger than any competitor. Based in Uppsala, Sweden, PokerRoom.com employs over 160 people and has over 3.5 million players in more than 130 countries around the world. It was Sweden's 19th most profitable business in 2002 and has dealt over 350 million poker hands.

- PokerRoom.com is the only online gaming site not requiring a download, offering viable play for Mac and Linux users and the option to play for real money or sharpen skills by playing for fun.

- The business supports responsible gaming and has worked together with the Global Gaming Guidance Group to develop new procedures and features and has received G4 accreditation.

For further information, images or to arrange to play/ see a preview of the game, please contact Sasha Bradbury or Sian Evans on +44-(0)207-287-2087 or poker@consol.co.uk