Joe Lear's cellular phone hasn't stopped ringing since Sunday, and he expects the pace to pick up even further.
With a green light given to him by the judicial system, Lear, the agent for professional boxer Bernard Hopkins, is going full-steam ahead in placing online casino URLs on some new and interesting places.
On Tuesday district court judge Valerie Vega ruled to allow Golden Palace online casino to continue placing Henna tattoos with Golden Palace's URL on the backs of professional boxers. The issue was taken to the courts after the Nevada Athletic Commission voted 5-0 to end the practice last month. Golden Palace quickly countered by appealing to the courts for a temporary injunction, which was quickly granted. As part of the temporary injunction, Golden Palace requested the Tuesday hearing to determine whether the courts could make the injunction permanent.
Bernard Hopkins, the highest profile boxer in the GP stable, and others argued that the Commission was blocking their First Amendment rights by not allowing them to wear the tattoo, and make additional endorsement money as well.
The Clark County District Court granted the injunction after finding no evidence that temporary body markings, including temporary tattoos, are distracting, or would be distracting to boxing judges during a bout.
The judge further indicated that the Commission's ban was a violation of the First Amendment rights of boxers and that there was no evidence that the ban would "materially advance the NAC's asserted interest."
Eric Amgar, the marketing rep from Golden Palace who hatched the idea last summer, was thrilled with winning the court battle, but also mentioned that he wasn't too worried about losing the case with the First Amendment argument in their defense.
Lear, meanwhile, said he is on the fast track to sign new advertisers with his wide array of athletes. He said he's willing to explore any sport where there is room for a tattoo and feels that sports without unions and commissioners are primary targets.
Lear said he couldn't comment on what some of the possibilities are, but he is focusing only on one sector for potential advertisers.
"I have to save the shock value like I did with boxing," he said. "But I will tell you that I am going after the online casinos exclusively. I love working with them. They are more aggressive and they get the results quicker."
With more than 1,400 online casinos in the industry, Lear is confident he can find others willing to follow GP's lead.
"I am trying to find another two or three Web sites to get together with for boxing because there are more fights than Golden Palace can handle," he said. "When Golden Palace does it, it doesn't have the same effect because you can't bet on it."
Lear admitted that the Federal Wire act may prohibit some prospective clients, but he would love to see more advantage gained from sites that use the tattoo option as a marketing tool. He said if sites that have sports books attached to them align themselves with athletes special promotions could be built into the site. Bettors could get special odds or deposits on the site, he said, if a special URL is set up.
"It could be huge for them especially with March Madness about to begin," he said.
The flood of recent coverage on the issue, including an ESPN special as well as photos of tattooed boxers in Sports Illustrated, has given Golden Palace added exposure. Amgar said they couldn't be more thrilled with the exposure, and he's busy working deals with other athletes and involved in made-for-TV specials. He said deals were pending that would have tattoos showing up on major network TV programming.
"People better look out, because we are going to be turning up everywhere," he said.
Meanwhile Lear is getting plenty of use out of his two cellular phones. He said he carries two phones, and one is constantly being charged while the other is getting over worked. The tattooing has created such a buzz in his camp that he has decided to get closer to the gambling scene, to help work every possible angle.
"I am moving to Vegas," he said. "I am getting a place, and you are going to see tattoos on everybody, besides Golden Palace. I am in Florida now meeting with other online casino representatives. I am willing to travel to Costa Rica or anywhere to make these deals happen."