Betting for a third time on the notion that vices are more fun in pairs than alone, Playboy launched another in its suite of online wagering sites today.
The new site, PlayboyCasino.com, is the final installment in the now-complete trilogy of Playboy-branded Internet gambling sites. PlayboySportsbook.com was launched in early May, and PlayboyRacingUSA.com went live in August.
The new site, along with the online sports book, is powered by Ladbrokes Internet gambling division, Ladbrokes eGaming Limited. The horse race betting site is a partnership between Playboy and Penn National Gaming.
Paul Kallis, Playboy Internet Gaming's executive vice president and managing director, said it was always in the business plan to include a casino with the other betting sites
"When we decided to move into Internet gaming there were three core areas that were our initial focus: sports betting, pari-mutuel betting and casino games," Kallis said. "This is the completion of the three sites now."
Playboy.com announced its partnership with U.K.-based Ladbrokes to form the
online sports book, with a license from and operations based in Gibraltar, in February. Kallis said the casino deal was worked into the existing agreement Playboy had with Ladbrokes.
"When we looked at going into this business, we looked to partner with people who were already in the business and Ladbrokes is a very strong, experienced partner and the leading bookmaker in the world, so it was natural," he said.
Kallis said the casino allows the company to transition customers from sports betting to casino gambling easily because they can use a single account for play on both sites.
There will be a variety of "technical and procedural safeguards" to prevent people from countries where Internet gambling is illegal from using the site, Kallis said. The safeguards include cross-referencing of banking and credit locations and telephone and ISP locations.
Under the site's terms and conditions page, it's stated that bet processing or financial transactions will not be accepted from people in the United States or any other jurisdiction where such actions are against the law. Playboy reserves the right to ask for proof of residence from anyone using a U.S.-issued credit card; however, the site warns that it is the "responsibility of each individual customer to ensure that they comply" with
their local laws regarding Internet gambling.
In addition to real-money wagering, the site offers play-for-fun with a guest registration. Kallis said the gaming software can be downloaded from the Internet or installed off a free CD ROM that Playboy will send by mail. During the Internet download, a few games are downloaded first and then are available for play while the rest of the casino downloads in the background. The games can also be played directly, with no download, using Flash.
The site offers 51 games, including roulette, multi-hand blackjack and craps. There's also a series of slot machines, including one centered on Little Annie Fanny, a cartoon character from Playboy magazine.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Playboy site without a Bunny, and in this case it's Deanna the Playboy Betting Bunny (the real-life Miss May 1998) who appears on the front page of the site and whose hands can be seen dealing cards in the blackjack game.
Kallis said the reasoning behind the Playboy online casino is that gambling is the kind of activity Playboy consumers would likely enjoy.
"One of the reasons for moving into this area is the Playboy brand has always been associated with the glamour and luxurious lifestyle, and that given with our past casino business and experience, which still resonates in consumers, this is a natural for us to be doing," he said.