THE COMPANY behind Empire Poker, a leading online gambling site, is poised to become the next poker firm to attempt to make its stock-market debut, with a possible £500m flotation.

Tradal, which has its headquarters in Limassol, Cyprus, is in exclusive talks with Numis, the stockbroker, to receive advice on its strategic options.

Sources believe that it will decide to go for a listing in London. Another option would be to try to raise funding on the debt markets. No timetable has been set for a decision on its future strategy.

Tradal is the latest of a number of poker sites to look at going public. Party Gaming, which operates the world’s largest online poker business, Party Poker, appointed investment banks Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and Investec to advise on its options, including an IPO.

If it presses ahead, Party Gaming is expected to achieve a valuation high enough to propel it straight into the FTSE 100 index of Britain’s blue-chip companies.

Similarly, Cassava Enterprises, owner of the 888.com site, has hired CSFB to advise it on a possible flotation. It is reported to be considering a listing that would value the business at more than £800m. As well as 888.com, it also owns the Pacific Poker website.

The market got its first proper taste of the excitement delivered by poker when online betting group Sportingbet acquired Paradise Poker last October for £169m.

Since the deal was announced, shares in the group have more than doubled, and the company’s valuation is just shy of £1 billion.

Poker has gained a huge following in the past couple of years. The boom has led to the launch of a television station dedicated to the game, while this month the British Poker Open gets under way.

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