One of the pioneer companies in the online poker industry, PokerRoom.com closed their doors for good earlier this week. The customers of the bwin owned site had the option of either taking their out or switching their accounts over to bwin.

PokerRoom was launched in 1999 by Swedish poker players Oskar Hornell and Claes Lidell; Oskar's brother Karl was also invited along to help design the software. PokerRoom grew fast and at its' height it was one of the most popular online poker sites and enjoyed superior reputation. It was also noted for its' innovative approach, as it was among the first sites to offer a Mac compatible client as well as applications for Linux and mobile gaming. PokerRoom was an important part of the Ongame network.

In 2006 the Austrian giant BetandWin (now bwin) purchased both the network and PokerRoom. Just a few months later came the passage of UIGEA and Ongame had to pull out of the lucrative US market. While Ongame has done well even after UIGEA, PokerRoom did not manage so well and finally bwin decided to close the site permanently. Nevertheless, PokerRoom was one of the big success stories in the history of online poker.

Source: Pokernews.