South Point Hotel, Casino, and Spa owner Michael Gaughan announced plans to unveil a new free-to-play online poker site within the next couple of weeks, according to reports.
Much like Jamie Gold’s recently debuted “FreeGoldPoker.com” the free site will featured on the ZEN Entertainment Network and offers real cash and prizes without requiring members to pay a monthly subscription fee. Instead, both sites hope to turn a profit relying solely upon sponsorships and advertising revenue.
Should the ZEN Network, which was created in 2006, become successful in the “post-Black Friday” online poker scene, they’d be well poised for any future online gambling legalization with a large player database and clean legal record. Since ZEN’s creation in 2006, the network has partnered with mainstream entities the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC,) World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE,) and NBCSports.com. More recently, they have purchased SpadeClub (CardPlayer’s subscription poker room) and have since developed CardPlayerPoker.com.
If the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s recently released draft of regulation for intrastate online gaming in a (hypothetically) legal future actually materialized into law, Gaughan would likely be among the first granted a license. The drafted regulations favor companies with previously existing, strong brick and mortar operations in Nevada. Though the South Point name might not grab the same headlines as, say Caesar’s or the Bellagio, the casino has received a good deal of television exposure, as it hosted the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon for the last 5 years and has been featured in many televised cash games.
Though “legal” online poker sites rarely found success in previous years, the events of “Black Friday” have completely changed the face of the online poker industry in the United States. With the exodus of industry juggernauts PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker from the United States, expect more partnerships from online software providers like ZEN with Brick and Mortar sites as they attempt to gain an edge as rumors of online poker legislation get only louder.
Much like Jamie Gold’s recently debuted “FreeGoldPoker.com” the free site will featured on the ZEN Entertainment Network and offers real cash and prizes without requiring members to pay a monthly subscription fee. Instead, both sites hope to turn a profit relying solely upon sponsorships and advertising revenue.
Should the ZEN Network, which was created in 2006, become successful in the “post-Black Friday” online poker scene, they’d be well poised for any future online gambling legalization with a large player database and clean legal record. Since ZEN’s creation in 2006, the network has partnered with mainstream entities the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC,) World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE,) and NBCSports.com. More recently, they have purchased SpadeClub (CardPlayer’s subscription poker room) and have since developed CardPlayerPoker.com.
If the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s recently released draft of regulation for intrastate online gaming in a (hypothetically) legal future actually materialized into law, Gaughan would likely be among the first granted a license. The drafted regulations favor companies with previously existing, strong brick and mortar operations in Nevada. Though the South Point name might not grab the same headlines as, say Caesar’s or the Bellagio, the casino has received a good deal of television exposure, as it hosted the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon for the last 5 years and has been featured in many televised cash games.
Though “legal” online poker sites rarely found success in previous years, the events of “Black Friday” have completely changed the face of the online poker industry in the United States. With the exodus of industry juggernauts PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker from the United States, expect more partnerships from online software providers like ZEN with Brick and Mortar sites as they attempt to gain an edge as rumors of online poker legislation get only louder.
