Poker subscription club exploits a new gap in the US market
Written on 4/24/11 By Recentpoker.com staff writer Anthony Aperman :
BIG TALK FROM A RELATIVELY NEW ONLINE POKER OPERATOR
Poker subscription club exploits a new gap in the US market
Hard on the heels of the US Attorney's indictments aimed at acing out Pokerstars, Full Tilt Poker, UBPoker and Absolute Poker in the US online poker market, a relatively unknown online poker site made a move clearly attempting to exploit the vacuum created by the shutdown of the indicted sites.
The Savannah, Georgia-based online poker site Gold Strike Poker.com was quick generate media coverage for itself, with a publicity blurb on CNN's i-report pages lauding the site's capabilities and inviting poker fans to join "the only world class online 3D legal US-based poker site."
The company operates on the ‘club subscription' business model, a concept which has yet to be judicially tested in the United States, but one which has so far escaped the attention of the enforcement authorities.
In a blurb brimming with braggadocio, Gold Strike's chief executive officer, John George, claimed:
"With one in five Americans who play poker online, and with Illegal offshore poker site domains being seized by the FBI – Americans should know that there is a legal, USA-based online poker site: Gold Strike Poker.com, that opened the same day the enforcement of the UIGEA was passed.
"We knew the Feds would stop the billions of dollars being sent to offshore illegal poker sites….. the USA economy could not allow this to continue.
"Gold Strike Poker is nominated by the gaming industry's International Gaming Awards* as Poker Operator of The Year and several major legal USA Casino groups are in talks to partner with us,” George boasted.
"Even ESPN contacted us on Friday as Gold Strike Poker to open talks."
George goes on to claim that his is the only US online poker site "approved by the TV Networks to advertise a .com poker site," and alleges this is because his company's offering is legal in the US.
He further claims that Gold Strike is ‘right there' in legislative developments in Nevada and New Jersey, and is in talks with the "legal-online-gambling-by-default" city-state of Washington DC via contractor Intralot regarding its future plans to offer online gambling.
George seems to have been an incredibly busy man, because he also claims that his company is engaged in talks with major US land casino companies, saying:
"Even major casinos are already engaged in talks with GSP to provide our legal poker site infrastructure branded under names like: MGM- Boyd Gaming Group and yes, even Caesars Interactive is looking at Gold Strike Poker."
Frankly, it all seems a little too OTT-good to be true…..
* Editor's Note: The ‘International Gaming Awards' are managed by Clever Duck Media Ltd with sponsorship from several land gambling companies.
Gold Strike Poker is on the Atlantis Solutions white label platform, powered by Cybertech International Holding Ltd. and offering 12 different poker variations. Players pay a monthly subscription of almost $20 for membership and free entry to a range of tournaments.
The operation launched around mid-2010.
