A glitzy advertising promotion can work wonders for many companies, even online gambling operations. Couple the advertising promotions with state-of-the-art graphics and a high-traffic location and you've got the Internet Gaming Vision Board, a three-sided 14-foot by 26-foot electronic board smack-dab in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip.
The board debuted in Vegas on October 18. Nine online casinos and sportsbooks are promoted amid the lights of the Vegas strip and seen by 125,000 people every day, said Nikki Crew, assistant vice president of marketing for Casino Ventures, which owns the Internet Gaming Vision Board. (A view of the board is available at http://www.vegasstriplive.tv/)
Sites featured on the board include RoyalVegas.com, GamingClub.com, CCC-Casino.com, CaptainCooksCasino.com, IntegritySportsbook.com, WorldwideVegas.com and GoldenWager.com. Also featured on the board is Casino Adviser.com, an Internet gaming directory and portal.
"Las Vegas is quaking in their boots!" adds Ed Brown, another Casino Ventures vice president. "This is a very bold move and we realize it. Internet gambling has moved in to the global mainstream as a credible form of entertainment with revenues to exceed $500 billion by 2004. It won't be long before we see all the major land-based casinos opening their own Internet gaming sites."
One surprise for Casino Ventures officials is the lack of fuss over an electronic board promoting Internet gambling in the heart of Las Vegas. Crew attributed the lack of fuss to several things. For one thing, she said, clearance was obtained from the Las Vegas Gaming Board before the electronic board went up. Plus, a disclaimer reminding potential players that e-gambling isn't legal in all jurisdictions was added. Finally, Crew thinks that the Vegas casino operators are getting ready to launch their own gaming sites, so they are unlikely to complain about other sites' advertisements.
The Internet Gaming Vision Board has been successful, adds Crew, so successful that they've added three more boards, two in San Francisco and another in Seattle. The company also hopes to add another one in New York Times Square, as well as other locations.