Looking to further solidify the strong bond between its online brand and its Internet casino, U.K.-based Ladbrokes is planning to launch multiplayer poker on the Internet.
The game, which will be branded with the company's popular land-based poker tournament, "Poker Million," will be available through Ladbrokes' sports book and casino site at www.ladbrokes.com by the end of March, according to Albert Tapper, head of casinos at Ladbrokes.
With the online version of the game, Tapper is confident that Ladbrokes will be able to tie the popular poker contest at its land-based facility with players who visit the online casino. The launch of the online version will coincide with this year's tournament, which will take place in London.
While the Poker Million event generates a great deal of publicity and media attention throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, Tapper said the game is picking up in popularity.
"We believe multiplayer poker will prove a significant online development because it's a hugely popular game of skill with a rich culture," he said.
Ladbrokes, which already has a strong land-based brand in Europe, will be able to further its online presence by promoting and marketing the new poker game during the land-based tournament. Tapper said the exposure generated from the land-based tournament is enormous and shows players that the online site is connected to a legitimate operation.
"As with all online gaming, the customer must trust the operator, and integrity is a key part of the Ladbrokes ethos," he said. "The Poker Million event will also be important in raising the profile of poker across the board. Last year it was broadcast to a potential 300 million TV households around the world."
A strong relationship with Microgaming, the company that developed software for Ladbrokes' original site, helped lay the foundation in developing the multi-player poker software.
For the game to be a big success, though, Tapper points out that there has to be a large interest from prospective players, just like with a land-based poker game.
Tapper isn't worried about a lack of players though; he sees the buzz created every year from the event, coupled with the Microgaming family of sites, creating a big enough player base.
"We are very conscious that, to make online multiplayer poker work, you need liquidity of players, i.e. lots of poker players playing at any one time," he said. "Our brand strength and existing customer base will deliver this liquidity in association with the rest of the Microgaming network."