Online gambling portals developed by SoftNet Gaming, Inc. are soon to be fattened up by content provided by Casino Journal Publishing Group. As part of the deal, Casino Journal receives a 5 percent equity stake in SoftNet.
The non-exclusive licensing agreement calls for Casino Journal to provide content from current and previous issues of its publications for use in SoftNet's online gambling magazines located at www.softnetgaming.com, www.sportsgamingguru.coma and www.casinoguru.com.
The content will consist of articles published in consumer trade publications including Casino Player, Strictly Slots, Casino Journal, The National Gaming Summary, The Gaming Industry Weekly Report, The Gaming Industry Daily Report and The Atlantic City Insider newsletters. It will be blended in with feature articles from SoftNet's writing staff.
In return for the licensing of their content, Casino Journal Publishing Group received a 5% equity stake in SoftNetGaming valued at $250,000. The two companies have also entered into an agreement whereby SoftNet will allocate a portion of the advertising revenues toward placement of ads in Casino Journal print publications. This has averaged approximately $30,000 a month in additional advertising, for the last two months.
Casino Journal has warmed up to the Internet and online gambling in recent months. Despite its initial condemnation of the interactive gaming industry, the company announced in December 1998 its newborn views that interactive gambling isn't so bad after all.
"Management has been exploring ways to expand its Internet publishing beyond our highly successful web site, http://www.casinocenter.com, Casino Journal Chairman, CEO and Group Publisher, Glenn Fine said. "The agreement with SoftNet is one of many online relationships we plan to engage in. The future of publishing includes the Internet and we expect to utilize our relationship with SoftNetGaming to extend the reach of the company's publications. In addition we expect to utilize the Internet to extend our e-commerce capabilities." … which roughly translates to (stealing a page from Garrett Morris), "The Internet has been veddy veddy good to me."