Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. announced a strategic investment in casino gaming company Zynga Inc.2. Alibaba to enter online casino market

On Monday, Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. announced a strategic investment in casino gaming company Zynga Inc. The move signals Alibaba's entrance into the online casino market.

Alibaba is best known for its Taobao and Tmall platforms, which are respectively the world's largest online marketplace and Chinese third-party platform for brands and retailers. The company has been expanding its reach into other areas of online spending, including food delivery and travel.

Zynga is an established name in the casino gaming market, with popular games such as FarmVille and Words With Friends. The company has been struggling in recent years, however, as it has shifted away from desktop gaming to mobile games. In 2017, Zynga reported a net loss of $221 million on revenue of $746 million.

The investment from Alibaba will help Zynga improve its game offerings and expand into new markets. For Alibaba, the investment provides an opportunity to tap into the growing global casino gaming market, which is projected to be worth $81 billion by 2020.

3. Alibaba awaits US gambling licence for online casino foray

Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd is seeking a licence to offer online gambling in the United States, as the Chinese firm looks to tap into the world's largest gaming market.

The company has held preliminary talks with New Jersey regulators about a licence for its Alibaba.com e-commerce platform to offer casino games and sports betting, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Alibaba spokeswoman Clarissa Wei declined to comment.

Online gambling is currently illegal in most U.S. states, although several, including New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware, have authorised limited forms of it.

The move underscores Alibaba's ambitions to make more money from its fast-growing cloud computing and e-commerce businesses. It also comes as the firm faces increased scrutiny in China over its dominance of online retail.

Alibaba already offers gaming and horse racing products in China through its AliSports unit, which stumbled earlier this year after introducing a new social media platform that was criticised for being addictive and promoting gambling behaviour.

4. Alibaba investing in casino gaming firm Zynga

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is set to invest in casino gaming firm Zynga, according to a Reuters report Thursday.

The deal, which is said to be worth $200 million, will give Alibaba a 5% stake in Zynga and help the games company expand its presence in China.

Alibaba is no stranger to the gaming industry, having already invested in South Korea's Next Entertainment World as well as China's WeGame platform.

Zynga, meanwhile, operates popular social games such as FarmVille and Words With Friends. The company has been seeking new avenues for growth after posting disappointing earnings numbers in recent years.

This latest move by Alibaba comes as the Chinese internet giant looks to tap into the country's massive gaming market. In 2017, the market was worth $37.9 billion, according to research firm Newzoo. That number is expected to grow to $46.1 billion by 2020.

5. Alibaba expands into online gambling with Zynga investment

In an interesting move, Chinese tech giant Alibaba has announced its investment in Zynga, a company best known for developing online gambling games. The investment is part of a broader strategy by Alibaba to expand into the online gaming market.

For Zynga, the investment is a much-needed boost. The company has been struggling in recent years and has seen its stock prices fall sharply. In 2018, Zynga's revenue was just over US$200 million, down from more than US$1 billion in 2012.

The investment by Alibaba is expected to help Zynga revive its fortunes. Alibaba has a lot of experience in the online gaming market and can help Zynga to improve its games and find new ways to monetize them.

This is not the first time that Alibaba has invested in a gaming company. In 2017, it put money into South Korea's Nexon, one of the largest gaming companies in the world.

For Alibaba, the investment in Zynga is part of a wider effort to expand beyond its core e-commerce business. Gaming is a fast-growing industry, and Alibaba wants to make sure that it doesn't miss out on the opportunities it presents.

The move comes at a time when China is tightening up its regulations on online gambling. Earlier this year, the Chinese government issued new guidelines prohibiting online gambling and calling for tighter regulation of the sector.

Alibaba says that it will comply with these regulations and won't allow any of Zynga's games to be played in China. However, it remains to be seen how well this policy will be enforced given Alibaba's close relationship with the Chinese government.