PartyGaming plc, the company behind former U.S. online poker goliath PartyPoker, and Bwin Interactive Entertainment AG, a company with its own powerhouse of a poker room as well as one of the most trusted online sportsbooks, recently confirmed details of an upcoming merger that could soon make them- in PartyGaming CEO Jim Ryan’s words- “the world’s largest listed online gaming business.”

This merger will be a nearly even split, with bwin ending up with the slight 51.6% majority- compared to PartyGaming’s 48.4%- and could apparently save these companies close to $55,000,000 in redundant costs, as well as potentially earning them around $17,000,000 extra, in new cross-marketing possibilities between their many sites.

The new merged company will apparently be co-run by Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger, the current Co-Chief Executive Officer of bwin.

Neither bwin nor PartyGaming have offered internet gambling to U.S. based customers since the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006. Such self restraint potentially puts them in a very positive position if recent U.S. Congress moves to pass Barney Frank’s pro-online gambling legislation, H.R.2267, come to fruition.

This becomes particularly true given recently added amendments to that bill, which specifically forbids online gambling companies currently breaking U.S. gambling laws from gaining licenses in a regulated U.S. market, something both bwin and PartyGaming have taken great strides not to do.

As perhaps expected, since news of the merger circulated stock prices from both bwin and PartyGaming have gone up significantly.