bwin.party could be looking to hand over its ownership of the Ongame Network to Shuffle Master, a casino machine and slot manufacturer and applicant for a Nevada online gaming license.

According to a report from the Sunday Times, Shuffle Master is expected to announce the takeover bid soon, in a move which would see the network change hands for as little as €13 million.

bwin originally purchased the Ongame Network in 2005 for €473 million.

bwin.party has long ago announced that it would be trying to pass on the network, but has not been able to strike a deal for the past seven months.

A sale was originally planned to be carried out be the end of last year, but it has not moved anywhere since then, despite bwin.party claiming that the sale was in its advanced stages.

The Ongame Network is currently the fifth largest online poker network in the world, and comprises more than 25 different skins, including sites like Betfair, Betsson, and bwin.

It is expected that a sale would result in all bwin players being migrated to PartyPoker's independent network, leaving it as the only brand left for the online gaming giant.

Shuffle Master is reported to be interested in the network, as it is currently one of altogether 12 companies who are currently applying for an online gambling license in Nevada.

Nevada this winter announced to be accepting operation license applications from operators wishing to offer online gambling - including poker - within the state, but legislators have yet to reveal when the new licensed will be issued.