With Apple now allowing real money gambling games in the UK, Zynga is looking to make the most of the opportunity, signing an exclusive deal with bwin.party.

This will see the two companies releasing real money online poker and casino games such as slots, roulette and blackjack in the UK during the first half of 2013.

Zynga will operate under bwin.party's Gibraltar gaming licence, and will also release an online slots game based on its FarmVille brand.

Rolling the dice

"Bringing together Zynga's expertise in social gaming with the top international real money gaming operator is the best way to create the highest quality gaming experiences for our players in the UK," said Barry Cottle, Zynga's EVP corporate and business development.

"Partnering with an established leader like bwin.party is a strategic and prudent way for us to enter a key real money gaming market while giving local players the real money games they've been asking us for."